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

"Secretary, this is Director Guo from the breeding base. He says he needs to speak with you."

That morning, Fang Wei was looking at documents in his office when Gao Wenshu led a middle-aged man in.

This man was Guo Wenxian from the breeding base. After entering the room, he shook hands with Fang Wei with a big smile, adopting a very humble posture.

"Secretary Fang, I've come to ask you for help. We received a lot of help from you after the breeding base was established, and I'm really sorry to trouble you again now."

"Director Guo, please have a seat. Let's talk things over slowly."

You can't hit someone who's smiling, and Fang Wei had no conflict with the other party. Director Yao and his group had already been dealt with, and Guo Wenxian had only been at the breeding base for less than six months.

"Secretary Fang, this season our base planted the [Nanguang No. 2] standardized rice variety. As you know, the rice varieties we tried before were a complete failure, but the new rice varieties are still a long way off."

We couldn't leave so much farmland lying fallow, so we made a temporary adjustment. However, the base has no experience planting "Nanguang No. 2" seedlings. Could you provide us with comprehensive technical guidance? We are willing to pay the corresponding price.

After sitting down, Guo Wenxian drank a few sips of tea before slowly explaining his purpose.

From his perspective, he still wanted to collaborate with Fang Wei to continue cultivating rice varieties. However, the two had no prior relationship, and it might not be effective to bring it up rashly, so he thought he should start by building a connection through small things.

Personally, whether the breeding base performs well or not, his monthly salary is the same. But he's resentful. When Director Wu was in charge, the breeding base had a very high status, but now it's been marginalized.

The reason for this is that the base itself is not up to par.

“That’s easy to do. I can send a few people over to provide guidance later.”

Fang Wei thought about it and did not refuse the other party.

It's a good thing that the other party took the initiative to seek cooperation; perhaps a path of integrated development can be found in the process of cooperation.

What he needs is access to designated land to fully implement the Nanguang No. 2 variety, ideally nationwide. Then, when the time is right, he can introduce Nanguang No. 3, further boosting domestic rice production.

"Thank you, Secretary Fang! I'll go back and wait then."

Guo Wenxian laughed heartily and repeatedly expressed his gratitude to Fang Wei.

Through this interaction, the two at least became acquainted. Furthermore, since both were inclined to get closer, the atmosphere at their first meeting was quite pleasant.

Guo Wenxian sat for more than an hour before getting up to say goodbye. After all, it was their first meeting, and he understood the principle of not speaking too much to someone he didn't know well.

May.

Discussions about restoring the college entrance examination have increased, with some in favor and others against, but overall, the voices in favor are much louder.

Fang Tingting only came home once every two weeks to study, and that was only because her brother Fang Tao was at home.

That morning, Fang Wei went to the experimental field of the second team to check on the comparative experiments of each group. Although he already had the results in his hands, the process still had to be followed, otherwise he wouldn't be able to explain himself.

Based on the current progress, we should see results around next autumn, and it can be widely promoted within the province within three years.

By then, the Nanguang No. 2 rice variety will have completed its historical mission and will be replaced by Nanguang No. 3.

"Tao Tao, did you encounter any insurmountable difficulties during the experiment?"

Fang Wei called the head of the breeding team and Fang Tao together, and then asked a question.

"There are definitely difficulties, but they should be able to be resolved gradually. The selection of sterile lines is relatively smooth, but the selection of maintainer and restorer lines is very troublesome, and no progress has been made yet."

"No rush. Breeding requires patience and meticulousness; it can't be accomplished overnight. There's still some time before the summer harvest, so you can put your project on hold for now, go back and rest for a while, and come back at the end of next month."

Fang Wei gave Tao Tao a chance to hitch a ride, but she didn't want him to leave his pregnant wife at home unattended.

Therefore, he directly told them to leave, without giving the three people from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences any room for rebuttal.

You can review the records to see how the plant is growing; there's no need to monitor it every day.

"Okay, let's go back to the unit first and summarize the experimental situation during this period."

Fang Tao and his colleagues left the second team the next day and returned to the provincial capital.

Fang Wei instructed the breeding team members involved in the experiment to carefully control the progress and, if necessary, set up some small obstacles to prevent the experiment from seeming easy.

The members of the breeding team were all his confidants, so they naturally knew what to do.

In fact, this project was very beneficial to Fang Tao and his colleagues. The breeding team showed them the entire process of hybrid rice breeding and the various difficulties that would be encountered.

This is a rare learning opportunity for anyone involved in production or research.

weekend.

Fang Wei and Fang Ping went to the county to visit Guo Yongqing and Shen Yu, and brought them some wild mushrooms from the mountains.

"Third brother, what's the point of you staying in the countryside all day? You don't want to be the commune director, and you still look down on the director of the agricultural bureau. So what do you really want?"

Shen Yu prepared a table of dishes, and Guo Yongqing drank a few cups with the two brothers.

He's doing quite well in the county now; generally, people give him some respect. After all, he's a veteran in the county, much more senior than Qi Haiyang, and has good interpersonal relationships.

At the beginning of the year, he was transferred to the county's organization department. The county tried several times to transfer Fang Wei to the commune or the agricultural bureau, but he was rejected each time.

Guo Yongqing was speechless; it was the first time he had ever met someone like this.

"Old Guo, just say less. Don't you trust Lao San's character? He sees further than we do, there must be a reason why he's unwilling to leave the brigade."

Shen Yu rolled her eyes at her husband, then came to Fang Wei's rescue.

Fang Wei nodded and smiled slightly at Shen Yu to express his gratitude. He had his reasons for not wanting to go to the commune and the county, but he simply couldn't voice them.

No matter how good the city is, it doesn't offer him a stage to showcase his talents.

"Uncle Guo, Auntie, there's a lot of talk about the resumption of the college entrance examination. Tingting is a very studious child with a good foundation. I'd like to ask you to help her find some good tutors. What do you think?"

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Fang Wei suddenly asked a question.

Shen Yu works at the county's No. 1 High School and has now secured a position as its vice principal. That's why Fang Wei came to her for help, wanting to find a few good teachers to systematically help Tingting review the knowledge from junior and senior high school.

"No problem, just have Tingting come to me directly later."

Shen Yu readily agreed, still remembering Fang Wei's kindness to her back then.

During those difficult years, she didn't know she would have survived without other people's help. "Thank you, Auntie!"

Fang Wei was very happy. He had gone to great lengths to ensure his niece could get into university.

Fang Ping didn't know much about these things, let alone Tian Guihua; everything depended on him to step in.

After leaving Guo Yongqing's house, the two brothers went to the cigarette factory to visit Tingting. Fang Wei told them to ask Tingting to go find Shen Yu as soon as possible and have the teachers help them create a new study plan.

Tingting was very happy. She had heard the news and couldn't help but admire her uncle's foresight.

She had been working hard towards her goal of getting into university for a long time, which gave her a significant advantage over others; you could say she won at the starting line.

"Tingting, you must listen to your mother and take good care of yourself."

Fang Ping didn't say much. His third brother had already arranged everything for his daughter, so he didn't need to say anything more.

After chatting for a while, Tingting went back to work.

Fang Wei and Fang Ping rode their bicycles at a leisurely pace, chatting about the bamboo ware factory along the way.

The bamboo ware factory is becoming increasingly prosperous; the only problem now is that the factory site limits its development.

“Third brother, I think it’s necessary to relocate the bamboo ware factory. The county is too far away. It would be better to move it to the commune, where problems such as labor shortages and insufficient power supply can be solved.”

The brigade is now facing a labor shortage, and the problem of talent shortage is almost unsolvable.

Fang Ping had been pondering whether to continue working at the team or relocate the factory when the time was right. In the end, he felt that moving to the commune would be more suitable, since there was another hardware factory belonging to the team there.

The commune had more advantages than the production team; it was more convenient to get around and closer to the county seat.

“Brother, your idea is excellent. I’ll discuss it with the team leaders later, and once we decide, you can relocate after the summer harvest.”

Fang Wei felt that the commune and brigade enterprises would definitely be partially decoupled from the brigade in the future, meaning that the workers in the factory would no longer have their labor results calculated based on work points, but would be accounted for separately.

In the future, factory workers will receive wages and bonuses and will no longer participate in the team's profit sharing.

As for food rations and welfare, the original brigade members were still guaranteed, since a portion of the company's net profit had to be handed over to the brigade. Hired personnel certainly didn't receive these benefits; they could only receive wages and bonuses.

Starting this year, the company's distribution system has undergone a slight change: based on the company's performance, employees can receive a portion of their earnings as bonuses.

Of course, the amount of the bonus is still limited to prevent excessive income disparities.

Fang Wei plans to take advantage of the bamboo ware factory's relocation to reform the factory's distribution methods and gradually establish a new corporate system.

The next day.

A reporter from the Xiangnan Daily suddenly arrived at the team, accompanied by a colleague from the county's publicity department.

Fang Wei couldn't avoid it and accepted the interview along with Zheng Hu.

"As an ordinary production team, when did you first have the idea of ​​getting into breeding?"

"We've had this idea for a long time. Don't ask why, it's because we used to go hungry. Back then, we thought, how great would it be if the yield per mu could double, then we wouldn't have to go hungry anymore."

Did you initially find breeding work difficult?

“It was very difficult! However, I was lucky. At that time, Professor Wu Maosheng, an agricultural expert from the province, was sent down to the team. He, along with Captain Zheng and many other young soldiers, began to learn about breeding from him, which opened a door for us.”

The interview focused on the breeding work experience of the Xiatang Brigade, especially Fang Wei's personal experience.

Fang Wei appeared very calm, neither deliberately low-key nor overly flamboyant, as if stating a fact, which was even more touching.

After the interview, Fang Wei treated the group to lunch in the cafeteria, and the reporter was very satisfied with the interview. Given the current situation, all industries need to establish role models.

In agriculture, "Dazhai" remains a banner, but further refinement is needed.

Fang Wei, a nationally renowned breeding expert, has received widespread attention, which is the fundamental reason why the reporter came to interview him.

a few days later.

The Xiangnan Daily published a reporter's article on its front page, which resonated with many people.

This is the story of an ordinary person who achieves extraordinary things. Fang Wei only has a junior high school education, but he is rooted in the countryside and has cultivated a first-class rice variety in China under difficult conditions.

Previously, due to its low yield, the impact of the variety was relatively small. However, now, the "Nanguang No. 2" variety covers almost the entire province, and since southern Hunan is a major rice-producing area in China, its influence is naturally incomparable to what it used to be.

In addition, this article objectively promoted the "Nanguang No. 2" hybrid rice, and many media outlets in other provinces and cities reprinted it, so its influence spread to many parts of the country in a short time.

The breeding base was still trying to contact people in Zhejiang, but as the "Nanguang No. 2" rice variety became popular in many parts of the country, even the second-grade rice varieties became highly sought after.

People from Zhejiang immediately came to sign a supply and sales contract, with purchasing stations acting as intermediaries, thus securing the summer harvest in advance.

As agreed with Guo Wenxian, Fang Wei sent technicians to the breeding base to provide technical guidance. Guo Wenxian was good at interpersonal relationships; the two drank together for a few meals, and their relationship gradually grew closer.

“Secretary Fang, to be honest, I think the county lacks decisiveness when doing some things! I think we can sign an agreement where you send people to be in charge of production, and I will provide logistical support. We can then share the profits.”

That day, Guo Wenxian came to Xiatang Brigade and gave Fang Wei two packs of cigarettes and two bottles of wine.

Fang Wei invited him to dinner at his home. After a few rounds of drinks, Guo Wenxian put forward a new proposal. This proposal was somewhat similar to technology-based equity investment in later times, but it had a somewhat unconventional feel in the present day.

It is clear that Guo Wenxian is a man of great courage and decisiveness.

"Your idea is good, but who knows if the county will agree?"

Fang Wei was also tempted. If this cooperation could be approved, he could include 40,000 mu of farmland within the [planting area].

However, the yield of the "Nanguang No. 2" rice variety has increased significantly, and this rice will be planted on a large scale throughout the province and even the surrounding areas, resulting in a qualitative leap in grain production.

This was something he had been longing for, so of course he was tempted.

However, the decision on this matter was not in Guo Wenxian's hands; he had no say in it.

“Secretary Fang, I’ll try to persuade Director Qi. Just tell me if you’re willing to cooperate.”

"Of course I'm willing. I'd be more than happy to contribute to increasing grain production and income."

The two reached an agreement privately, and Guo Wenxian, overjoyed, downed three more glasses of wine. (End of Chapter)