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

After the summer harvest, sales of Yaoling rice skyrocketed, mainly because rice mills increased their supply, causing a sudden surge in purchasing power that had been suppressed during the harvest season.

Fang Wei felt there was still potential to be tapped, and that the supply of Yaoling rice would definitely continue to increase by the time of the autumn harvest, until the market capacity became saturated.

morning.

He went directly to the experimental field, where the newly cultivated rice varieties were being harvested, and the data was quickly compiled.

There were four types of rice in total. Two of them were eliminated because their taste and texture were very different. The remaining two tasted quite good, but one of them had a yield of 1900 jin per mu, while the other didn't even reach 1500 jin per mu.

All other data were excellent, and this high-yield and high-quality rice variety was ultimately selected.

"No need for a different name, let's just call this rice variety 'Nanguang No. 5'."

This is a hybrid indica rice variety, with a better taste than the "Nanguang No. 4" variety, and the yield per mu has increased by 300 jin.

Fang Wei felt there was no need to make it so complicated. Calling it "Nanguang No. 5" would allow them to ride on the popularity of "Nanguang No. 4," without needing to put in a lot of effort on marketing.

The yield of the new rice variety is already approaching 2000 jin per mu, which is quite surprising.

The next step is to continue cultivating the [Nanguang No. 5] rice variety. The existing experimental fields of the brigade are only 100 mu, which is obviously not enough.

Fang Wei also gathered some experimental fields from other brigades, totaling 300 mu (approximately 20 hectares), all of which were used to cultivate the [Nanguang No. 5] rice variety. This timing wasn't too late; he increased the growth rate attribute to ensure harvesting could begin around the autumn harvest time.

This is undoubtedly good news for the cooperative, while the breeding institute quietly continues to advance its research on the second generation of high-yield corn.

Meanwhile, competitors are not idle either. For example, New Cage has started researching super corn, and their goal is said to be to achieve a yield of 2000 jin per mu for the new variety of corn.

"A yield of 2000 jin per mu is impossible. Their current main corn variety has a yield of less than 1200 jin per mu. How could they suddenly make such a big leap? This is a smokescreen to mislead people."

Fang Wei debunked the rumor at the meeting, but he also warned everyone not to be complacent, as the new Cage was catching up very quickly and they could not assume that their competitors would not improve.

The cooperative's top priority is to stabilize the market while actively developing new varieties; it cannot wait until others catch up before it reacts.

"Secretary Fang is right. We can't always rest on our past laurels; we must be proactive and strive for progress."

The board members agreed with Fang Wei's point of view. They supported the cooperative's pioneering spirit and reviewed and approved the proposal to increase research funding.

Next, everyone unanimously agreed to continue investing in the construction of two large, modern greenhouses, and to triple the area of ​​the experimental fields of Brigade 1, building them to the same high standards as before.

The experimental fields of the large team were actually greenhouses, with constant temperature and humidity, light compensation, and automated irrigation systems, which are very advanced by today's standards.

This represents a huge investment; without substantial financial resources, it's simply impossible to afford.

"That concludes today's meeting. Meeting adjourned!"

All the important issues were approved, and Fang Wei then left the meeting room.

Adding two large, modern greenhouses is, of course, to increase revenue. Varieties like strawberries, honeydew melons, and Nanli pumpkins can be supplied year-round, and the market response is good; the main problem is that production can't keep up.

Adding greenhouses can solve part of the problem.

Back in her office, Fang Wei made herself a cup of tea and then sat down to rest for a while.

At this moment, Zhang Chu walked in from outside.

"Old Zhang, have a seat and have a cup of tea first."

Fang Wei got up and poured Zhang Chu a cup of tea. Zhang Chu didn't stand on ceremony and grabbed the cup, gulping it down.

It's been incredibly hot lately; you sweat buckets with the slightest movement, and I'm almost getting heatstroke.

“Secretary, we are planning to buy a large quantity of wild chestnuts. Wild chestnuts are perfect for making ‘ready-to-eat chestnuts,’ and we’ve heard they have a good market overseas.”

Zhang Chu said that the processing plant plans to openly purchase wild chestnuts, and the harvest season will be here soon. If they don't promote it now, they won't be able to get any later.

To put it simply, the hope is that more people will go to the mountains and forests to pick fruits and vegetables.

"It's still a long way from the harvest season, but you're really in a hurry. As for exports, you should take your products to the Autumn Trade Fair this year and see if you can make a profit."

Fang Wei couldn't help but smile. The idea of ​​acquiring wild chestnuts was right, but not very realistic.

Picking wild chestnuts in the mountains is tough and tiring, but the main problem is that there are too many poisonous insects and snakes. If you are bitten by an insect, you could be in mortal danger.

With cooperatives offering good benefits and high dividends, how many people are still willing to take the risk these days?

However, he did not reject Zhang Chu's proposal. He believed that anything was worth trying, and he would know once he tried it.

"Okay, I'll go back and start preparing."

Zhang Chu came here specifically for this matter, and after explaining, he returned to the industrial park. This guy is so busy these days, he doesn't have time to sit here and chat.
Fang Wei was also planning to get moving, so he brought all his equipment and went into the mountains the next day.

He first inspected several wild forests, an area that had become a kingdom of hungry plants and animals. Not only were the roads difficult to travel, but he also encountered at least a dozen venomous snakes along the way.

Fortunately, he brought plenty of snake and insect repellent, and with all his personal attributes activated, there shouldn't be any danger.

He was the most skilled snake catcher and snakebite he could treat in the entire cooperative, but snake repellent was difficult to prepare. He had no problem using it himself, but if he wanted to supply more people, there was simply not enough.

Why are there so many treasures in the mountains, yet almost no one goes there anymore? It's because the danger level is too high.

After wandering around several wild forests, I discovered that the fruit would need at least two more months to ripen.

He then went to the herbal medicine cultivation base, where there were even more venomous snakes. This forced him to light a fire in the wild and put in a lot of insect and snake repellent to drive the snakes away through the smoke.

Since he had come all this way, he wasn't going to leave empty-handed. After picking a basket full of rare herbs, he finally returned home.

"Third brother, don't go risking your life in the mountains. We have everything we need now, and we don't rely on gathering herbs to make money, understand?"

As soon as Fang Wei entered the house, she was scolded by her older sister.

Looking at the people who are talking to him like this now, besides his older sister, you probably can't find another one.

"Okay, sister, I understand."

He had to put on a smiling face after being scolded, even though he wasn't sincere at all.

It's impossible for him not to go into the mountains; it's a shared hobby with his wife. Making money is secondary; it's mainly driven by interest, just like the dedication of a fisherman.

The older sister rolled her eyes at him and went to the kitchen to cook. A little while later, Pan Lianhua returned, having heard about the changes on the mountain from the man, and felt a strong urge to join in.

Xiao Jie has finished her exams and has gone to the provincial capital with Shen Yu to participate in a math competition these past few days. It's said that winning a prize would grant her the right to attend one of the high schools in the provincial capital, but for Xiao Jie, it's more of a hobby.

After the meal, Pan Lianhua rushed back to the county town.

If you count the days, isn't the college entrance exam just around the corner?

On the day of the exam, Fang Wei also went to the county town. After he and Pan Lianhua took their son to the exam venue, they prepared lunch for him in their rented room.

I haven't dared to eat out these past few days, for fear of getting an upset stomach and affecting my exams.

Pan Lianhua has been very anxious these past few days, but Fang Wei remains calm. He knows his son's level; he's among the top students in the county, so there's no question of him failing the college entrance exam.

Binbin has a very good mental fortitude, probably because he has been learning medicine from Master Sun since he was a child, and he has a calm and composed demeanor.

Sure enough, after a few days of exams, Binbin said he had performed very well and should have no problem getting into a top university.

He applied to two universities, Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Although this was unreasonable, it reflected his confidence.

The family of three returned home, and Master Sun congratulated Binbin. It was quite bizarre that the master and disciple hadn't even seen the final results yet, but were already celebrating.

Binbin is now relaxed and carefree, traveling around with the old Taoist priest every day and accumulating a lot of practical experience.

When the scores came out, Binbin brought everyone a huge surprise. He became the top science student in the county and region this year, and also ranked among the top in the province.

There's not much to say about that; the Beijing Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine is already beckoning him.

"Third brother, your Fang family is indeed full of smart kids. Look at Tao Tao, Ting Ting, and Bin Bin, they are all academic talents, and each one of them has better grades than the last."

Pan Lianhua was deeply moved. He didn't think his children's good grades had anything to do with him; it was probably because the Fang family had good genes.

Once her son gets into university, she'll be able to relax. As for her daughter, she doesn't need to worry about her at all; Shen Yu practically raises Xiao Jie like her own granddaughter, doing everything for her personally.

"I like what you said, but Lotus, are you really willing to let Xiaojie go to high school in the provincial capital?"

"What do I have to be reluctant about? The person I'm reluctant to part with is probably you, right? We'll see how far our daughter goes. When she grows up, she'll be someone else's wife."

Actually, the idea of ​​"playing with lotus flowers" reflects a certain degree of patriarchal thinking.

Fang Wei, on the other hand, dotes on his daughter even more. He's not a doting father, but he simply has higher expectations for her.

"What other people's daughter-in-law? She'll always be my daughter. Whether she goes to high school in the provincial capital or not, we'll talk about that later. We don't even know if it'll work out right now, so there's no point in saying anything more."

Fang Wei snorted, and Pan Lianhua knew that the man was a little unwilling.

Startled, she quickly shut her mouth. At this moment, she couldn't provoke the other party, or she might get a flick on the forehead.

this day.

Fang Wei received a call from Chenzhou Central Hospital. Section Chief Zhang said that they needed a large quantity of rare herbs, and the purchase list had been issued and would be delivered soon.

He received the call in the morning and the purchase list that afternoon.

The purchase volume on this list is quite large. Fang Wei estimates, based on current market prices, that the total price should be around 50,000 yuan.

What more needs to be said? He mobilized 30 young men from the Yao village, all of whom were seasoned veterans of the mountains and forests. So he personally led the team to the herb cultivation base and brought back all the herbs on the list.

After he finished, he gave the young man a reward of 300 yuan.

After calling Section Chief Zhang, he arrived at the cooperative the next day. Upon inspection, the quality of the medicinal herbs was found to be fine, so the buyer readily paid the full amount and returned to Chenzhou with the transport company's vehicle.

Fang Wei received the money; after deducting the rewards given out, he himself received 4.5 yuan in cash.

"Third Brother, so many? I think we should just quit everything and become millionaires by going into the mountains to pick herbs every year."

When the man gave the money to Pan Lianhua, the other party was overjoyed.

She was nominally in charge of the family's money, and now that a large sum of money had come in, he was naturally very happy.

Fang Wei rolled her eyes, too lazy to bother with her. Her wife was good in every way, except for her lack of ambition. She only went to work to complete tasks, doing whatever the company told her to do without ever thinking too much.

Actually, he didn't care about that. What he liked most about Pan Lianhua was that she always lived her life very seriously.

A few days passed quickly.

Binbin finally received his admission notice; he was indeed admitted to the Beijing College of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua were both very happy. When Xiao Jie returned and learned that she had won the national first prize, they were even happier.

With two happy events on the horizon, Fang Wei plans to hold a banquet in the village.

All the managers in the company had to be invited, as well as some people with whom they had good relationships, so a banquet was held in the canteen of the brigade.

The village celebrated with gongs and drums, congratulating another local student from a prestigious university. University graduates are still highly valued these days; the government guarantees job placement after admission, ensuring a bright future.

Even Fang Ping and Tian Guihua, who lived far away in the provincial capital, rushed back. Tao Tao and Ting Ting, who couldn't come due to work, also sent red envelopes to Binbin.

When everyone saw the two Fang brothers sitting together, they suddenly realized that the elder brother, Fang Ping, and his wife, Tian Guihua, had aged considerably over the years, while Fang Wei and his wife hadn't changed much and still looked very young.

However, other people's children are about to go to college, which makes many people envious.

"Binbin, did you hear that? Your parents are so young because they've been practicing health-preserving exercises for years. You need to keep exercising when you go to school, okay?"

Master Sun has been very happy these past few days. Fang Hongbin is his disciple, and he has passed on all his knowledge to him. With a formal university education, he will surely be able to go further on this path.

He thought that Fang Wei and his wife's condition was entirely due to their health-preserving exercises, but that wasn't entirely true. The attributes of the "main residence" also played a significant role, and both were indispensable.

The old Taoist priest has spent a lot of time with Fang Wei over the years, eating all three meals there, and he has actually benefited from it.

"I understand, I will pay attention to exercising."

Binbin nodded and accepted his master's advice.

The lively banquet finally came to an end, and Pan Lianhua began preparing things for her son to take to school. This included bedding, daily necessities, and if Fang Wei hadn't stopped her, she would have even prepared a washbasin and a thermos. (End of Chapter)