Era: I was a farmer at the foot of Yaoling Mountain

"There's nothing to be proud of. This is just a localized drought. Although it may seem serious, the support from all sectors of society is unprecedented."

This also means we have more confidence in our drought relief efforts; there's no reason why we shouldn't succeed.

Fang Wei smiled faintly, not caring much about such empty fame.

To be honest, this severe drought has had virtually no impact on the Xiatang Brigade, thanks in large part to the brigade's 10 deep wells.

These wells have a large water volume, which not only ensured the agricultural production of Xiatang Brigade, but also helped almost all the surrounding brigades.

Now that the drought has subsided, the amount of water being pumped has naturally decreased.

"Third Brother, I heard that the county has started planning a second large reservoir. One Yaojialing Reservoir is still not enough."

Zheng Hu had heard quite a few rumors, but he chose to highlight this one.

This severe drought really scared him. It hadn't rained for almost half a year. Who could stand that? Even though the team had a well, he was still worried all the time.

Now things are looking up. The county plans to build a second large reservoir, which, once completed, will be able to withstand a once-in-a-century drought.

"Sigh! We'll have to divert manpower to repair the reservoir again."

Seeing Zheng Hu's beaming face, the security chief couldn't help but say something.

Zheng Hu's expression changed immediately, and he couldn't help but recall the time when the Yaojialing Reservoir was built. If Fang Wei hadn't been incredibly lucky back then, he might be buried alive by now.

However, since the matter was not yet settled, the conversation ended there.

"Does anyone else have anything else to say? If not, the meeting is adjourned."

Fang Wei then adjourned the meeting and went to the construction site of the "New Residence" project.

Phases 2 and 3 of the project are progressing rapidly and are expected to be completed by the end of September. He came to see the construction manager to discuss the construction of the waterworks.

"I have no problem here. The key issue is the future operation. You'll probably have to go to the water supply department to ask about the specifics."

The person in charge told him that building a water supply system might require reporting, and that relevant departments attached great importance to this matter, so the operation of the water plant might require external assistance.

There were some things he wasn't clear about, so he suggested that Fang Wei ask the relevant department in the county.

"Thanks!"

Fang Wei then went to the county and inquired with the relevant departments about the construction of a waterworks.

The staff who received him were dumbfounded; this was the first time in recent years that a large group wanted to build a waterworks.

"Comrade, I'm sorry, I need to report this to my superiors before I can give you an answer."

The staff member immediately got up, seemingly to go find their supervisor.

Fang Wei wasn't in a hurry and sat to the side, waiting patiently.

After a while, a staff member and a middle-aged man wearing glasses walked in.

Fang Wei thought the man looked familiar, and then remembered that she had seen him once before in Wu Yaoyang's office.

That time, he went to talk to Wu Yaoyang about something, and the other party came in as he was leaving, and the two of them briefly met.

"Is this Secretary Fang from Xiatang Brigade? Hello, hello. We've met before, do you remember me?"

“I remember, I met him once in Director Wu’s office last time.”

The middle-aged man was very polite. He was in charge of the county's water supply department, and his surname was Xu and his given name was Xu Yan.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Fang Wei explained his purpose.

“Building a water plant is easy. We have a specific plan here. As long as we build it strictly according to the plan, it will pass the inspection.”

The key issue is the future operational difficulties. I suggest you entrust the management to the county waterworks. The cost is low; you only need to cover the salaries of a few people and the maintenance fees.

Xu Yan knew that Fang Wei and Director Wu had a good relationship, so he naturally wouldn't dodge the question in this matter.

Fang Wei found out the specific conditions and thought they were acceptable.

He then asked the other party for a design plan. Although the overall plan for the "New Residential Buildings" project had been completed, the water plant alone would definitely have to follow this plan.

"Secretary Fang, how about this: I'll send someone to your brigade later to revise the plan according to your specific situation. That would be more suitable, don't you think?"

"Okay, then I'll trouble you. Thank you!"

Xu Yan is good at dealing with people. Since he agreed to help, he will try his best to do so and gain favor in return.

Fang Wei expressed his gratitude repeatedly before returning to the brigade.

the next day.

Then the water supply department sent people over, and Fang Wei asked the security chief to accompany them to the site for investigation. He even invited them to have lunch in the canteen at noon.

Before they left, they said they could deliver the water plant design plan in about half a month.

Over time, Fang Wei and Xu Yan became familiar with each other and got along quite well.

A week later.

Fang Wei obtained the new design plan, then renegotiated the terms with the construction manager, and the water plant construction started simultaneously.

Meanwhile, Fang Tao's wedding date was drawing ever closer, and Fang Ping, Tian Guihua, Fang Wei, and Pan Lianhua were preparing to go to the provincial capital to attend the wedding.

After all, Fang Tao works in the provincial capital, so it's not realistic for him to hold the wedding in his hometown.

"Brother, although Tao Tao's house is all set up, it's a small house, and it's also his wedding room. Let's stay at the guesthouse instead."

"Yes, that's what her mother and I are thinking too."

Before leaving, Fang Wei discussed some things with his older brother. In short, they wanted to make the wedding as good as possible and try to get Tao Tao's boss to say a few words at the wedding.

When the day came, the whole family went to Chenzhou in a large group and took a train to the provincial capital.

Fang Ping only had himself and his wife, but Fang Wei had a large family, including himself, Pan Lianhua, his grandfather, Wang Zhuyun, and two little ones.

He's in good financial shape now and doesn't mind spending more money; he treats it as a family trip.

Upon arriving in the provincial capital, Fang Wei went straight to a guesthouse to settle down first.

"Comrade, hello, we need four double rooms."

Fang Wei went to check in, and all kinds of documents and letters of introduction were ready. He took them out of his bag and handed them to the waiter.

The waiter checked and found no problems, so he processed their check-in.

Afterwards, everyone went to their rooms together. When it was time to sleep that night, Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua shared a room, the eldest brother and sister-in-law shared a room, the older sister and the little one shared a room, and the grandfather and the eldest child shared a room.

After settling in, Fang Wei made a phone call to Fang Tao from the guesthouse.

Fang Tao rushed over; he had been so busy these past few days that he was practically dizzy.

Fortunately, weddings are now relatively simple. Many people attend group weddings organized by their workplaces, and those who hold their own weddings tend to keep a low profile.

Because his family required him to hold a wedding banquet, Fang Tao contacted the company cafeteria to arrange the wedding and banquet there.

My workplace hasn't agreed to this yet, so things aren't going very smoothly.

"I'll ask about it for you."

After hearing his nephew's story, Fang Wei decided to lend a hand. He didn't know many people at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences; the only one he was relatively close to, Wu Maosheng, had his job benefits reinstated after returning to the city and quickly retired.

Moreover, Wu Maosheng has spent most of his time in the countryside over the years, so looking for him is useless.

However, he had other ideas.

"Manman, do you really have a solution? If not, that's fine. If all else fails, we can hold the wedding at the factory canteen."

Fang Tao had only been working for a short time and didn't have many social connections, so if all else failed, he could only rely on Xiaoya's family.

"Don't worry about it, I'll go find someone later."

Fang Wei told his nephew not to ask so many questions and to wait for his news.

The next day.

Fang Wei called Liao Wenhua from the Department of Agriculture early in the morning. Liao was the deputy director of the Department of Agriculture and was very familiar with the leaders of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

“Secretary Fang, you haven’t called me in ages. And you’re calling just for something this trivial? Alright, don’t worry, there’s absolutely no problem.”

Liao Wenhua was also a national representative. The two met in Beijing and had a good relationship.

At the last meeting, Fang Wei brought a lot of local specialties and tea, and gave some to the other party as well. Don't think that just because he stays in the countryside all day, he doesn't know anyone. In fact, he has met many people over the years as a provincial and national representative.

"Thank you then. I'll come find you for a drink after my nephew's wedding is over."

"Okay, I'll be waiting. I'll treat you to a big meal then."

Without having to visit in person, Fang Wei resolved the problem with just one phone call.

Not long after, they called the guesthouse's front desk and told Fang Wei that the matter had been settled and that he should go directly to Director Li of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

noon.

After eating and resting for a while, Fang Wei went to the Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

"Director Li, hello, I am Fang Wei. Director Liao from the Department of Agriculture sent me to you."

"Secretary Fang, hello, hello! Your name is renowned far and wide. Putting aside everything else, the hybrid rice you developed, 'Nanguang No. 2,' has brought honor to our province."

"Not at all. Professor Wu Maosheng from your organization taught me a lot of agricultural breeding techniques. Without everyone's help, I wouldn't have been able to achieve this."

Director Li and Fang Weiyi hit it off immediately upon meeting.

After the guests and hosts were seated, Director Li first praised Fang Tao a few times, and then said that the cafeteria would definitely cooperate fully on the day of his wedding.

"I will also attend your nephew's wedding. The company always provides strong support for such positive and ambitious young people."

Director Li was really enthusiastic, partly to give face to Director Liao, and partly to give face to Fang Wei.

Others may not know who Fang Wei is, but as a leader of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, he couldn't possibly not know.

The other party is a domestic expert in breeding, the author of the "Handbook of Hybrid Rice Breeding Technology", and a national representative; any one of these identities is worthy of respect.

These days, people's achievements are not judged by how many papers they have published or what international awards they have won.

Now it's all about your actual results and how much you've contributed.

"Thank you, Director Li. I was planning to invite you to my wedding banquet anyway. Although Elder Wu has retired, I still consider the Academy of Agricultural Sciences my home, and I will do my best to help you in the future."

After some conversation, the two gradually became acquainted.

The key is that both of them are willing to improve their relationship, so isn't it a perfect match?
When Fang Wei left, Director Li personally escorted him downstairs, which puzzled many people in the unit. Who was this person?

The person who could be personally escorted downstairs by Director Li must be someone of extraordinary status.

Fang Wei returned to the guesthouse. Her elder brother, sister-in-law, and Pan Lianhua went to help at Fang Tao's new house. Her elder sister, grandfather, and two children stayed in the room.

He then called them to go out into the street and stroll around the neighborhood.

We ate lunch out, and only returned to our room after lunch.

"Manman, you went to see Director Li today? Do you know him?"

The eldest brother, sister-in-law, and Pan Lianhua have returned. Fang Tao also just rushed over from work and asked Fang Wei a question in surprise.

"We're acquainted, so how's it going? Has the management approved the wedding being held in the cafeteria?"

"The leader agreed, and Director Li even called me to his office and told me that he would attend my wedding and would like to say a few words on stage."

Fang Tao was overjoyed. The things he hadn't been able to accomplish before were all taken care of after his uncle arrived.

If he didn't know that his uncle didn't know Director Li at all, he would definitely think that his uncle and Director Li must have a very good relationship.

Fang Wei nodded, not wanting to explain what was going on.

"Is the new house all set up?"

"Everything is almost ready. We're just waiting to hold the wedding."

Sunday.

Tao Tao's wedding was held as scheduled.

He was a young man, and not many of his colleagues attended his wedding, but quite a few people came from his wife's family.

Weddings these days are simple and elegant, without so many elaborate rituals. After Director Li gave a speech on behalf of the unit, the wedding banquet officially began.

Xiaoya's parents are very satisfied with today's wedding.

Several of Fang Tao's superiors came, and the number of his colleagues was also more than expected, which naturally made Xiao Ya's family feel very proud.

After enjoying the meal, Director Li made a special trip over to say goodbye to Fang Wei before leaving. Fang Wei got up and saw him out. The director said that he could just call him if he needed anything in the future, as they were colleagues and should keep in touch.

Fang Tao's colleagues were very curious: just who was Fang Tao's uncle?

Of course, Fang Wei's relationship with Director Li has little to do with Fang Tao. If Fang Tao wants to stand out in his workplace, he still needs to have real skills.

Fang Tingting also came from Xiangling City today. Her company gave her three days off, so the time wasn't too tight.

The day after the wedding.

Fang Wei took his whole family out for a trip and had a meal at the most famous old restaurant in the provincial capital.

"Tingting, your training period in the region is almost over, right? Have you decided whether to stay at the regional cigarette factory or go back to the county?"

During the meal, Fang Wei asked his niece about her plans.

“I think I should go back to the county. My brother is in the provincial capital. If I stay in Xiangling City, my parents won’t have any children around them, and there will be no one to take care of them if something happens.”

Surprisingly, Fang Tingting didn't want to stay at the regional cigarette factory, but instead planned to return to the Xian cigarette factory.

Fang Wei looked at her niece with surprise, but felt very gratified.

The little girl has grown up. She knows how to be filial to her parents. She is indeed a good child.

"Okay, then you can go back to the county cigarette factory."

Fang Wei didn't say much, but gave her niece an encouraging look. (End of Chapter)