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

Although the letter was brief, it still shocked Sun Shili. He had originally planned to go to Xinlin County, but Fang Wei said he was coming to the capital, so he held back.

As soon as we met, he mentioned the [Nanguang No. 5] rice variety.

"Director Sun, don't be in such a hurry. I'll set aside a day in a few days to discuss this with you. What, my family and I have come all this way, aren't you going to treat us to a meal?"

Fang Wei couldn't help but laugh and joked with the other person.

Sun Shili realized he was being a bit too hasty and quickly stopped talking.

"You called me as soon as you arrived, how could I not treat you? Come on, I've already made a reservation at the restaurant, let's head out now, we'll be there just in time for dinner."

Sun Shili wasn't the bookworm type; his earlier anxiety stemmed mainly from the fact that [Nanguang No. 5] was simply too extraordinary.

A yield of 2000 jin per mu—something most breeders wouldn't even dare to dream of—was actually achieved by Fang Wei. This was a remarkable achievement, and it's no wonder he was a bit impolite.

Later, Fang Wei and his family left the hotel and came outside.

Sun Shili arrived in a minivan, which was full of 12 people. Even with his whole family on board, it didn't feel crowded.

"Secretary Fang, could you spare some time to give a presentation at our unit about your 'Nanguang No. 5' breeding process? If you agree, this car will accompany you and your family on your entire tour of Beijing."

After the vehicle started, Sun Shili invited Fang Wei to give a report at the Institute of Crop Science.

Fang Wei smiled and nodded, and the other party couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Sun Shili was worried that Fang Wei would be too proud to talk about the "Nanguang No. 5" project, but things went much more smoothly than he expected.

After the meal, Sun Shili instructed the driver to take Fang Wei and her family back to their hotel, and to have the driver and vehicle follow Fang Wei around the clock starting tomorrow, going wherever she wanted.

Then Sun Shili got into his car and left.

After a good night's rest at the hotel, they checked out the next day, and the driver and vehicle were waiting for them outside.

The driver took them directly to the guesthouse of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences. To be honest, the guesthouse was better than the hotel they had stayed in before, and it was cheaper.

After settling into their accommodations, Fang Wei and her family went out for sightseeing.

The rest of the tour was quite interesting. The driver knew every corner of Beijing and could even act as their guide. After three days of sightseeing, everyone felt exhausted, but also very fulfilled.

On the fourth day, Fang Wei gave a report at the Institute of Crop Science, focusing on the difficulties encountered in cultivating the "Nanguang No. 5" rice variety and the ideas for solving these difficulties.

In addition, the report discussed various data on the "Nanguang No. 5" rice variety, which elicited gasps of surprise from the audience.

Everyone wants to see detailed test reports to provide a reference for their work.

"Secretary Fang, you truly deserve to be called an authority on hybrid rice breeding. The emergence of 'Nanguang No. 5' has made countless people envious and jealous."

After you get back, send me a detailed copy of the lab report, and I'll help you apply for an award. Such a significant achievement can benefit many more people; I will report it to the relevant authorities and request that it be widely promoted.

Sun Shili was very interested in this achievement and planned to have the institute request relevant parties to vigorously promote the cultivation of "Nanguang No. 5".

Hybrid rice with a yield of nearly 2000 jin per mu is no joke; it can significantly boost domestic rice production.

Of course, the institute will also receive corresponding benefits in this process, such as the ideas for cultivating this rice variety and future in-depth cooperation.

"Director Sun, thank you for your help!"

Fang Wei himself has no problem with it; his previous awards were all passive.

Now that the crop research institute is proactively helping him apply for awards, the process will be much easier and the impact will be greater.

He was very grateful to Sun Shili for his help in promoting "Nanguang No. 5," which he said was a top-down operation that was much more effective than market-based operations.

Time flies.

Fang Wei and the others finished their trip to Beijing. Binbin booked a room at a hotel outside the school, and he was to go to the school to register in three days.

Afterwards, the group took a train to the provincial capital, had a gathering with Fang Ping's family and Fang Tao's family, and then sent Xiao Jie to her new school to register for classes.

Xiao Jie will spend all of her high school life at school, only going home during winter and summer vacations.

Xiaojie usually lives at school, but on weekends or holidays she can visit her uncle's house, have a nice meal, rest, and then return to school.

As they were leaving, Pan Lianhua and her sister couldn't help but shed tears. Fang Wei, worried about upsetting the children, quickly pulled them away, and the four of them returned home.

Even Fang Wei felt a little out of place back home.

There are only four people in the family now, and Master Sun still eats all three meals here every day. Although the old Taoist didn't say anything, he was also very reluctant to part with Binbin, and they wouldn't see each other again until next Chinese New Year.

He has passed on all his skills to Binbin, and hopefully he can carry them forward after graduating from university.

A few days passed quickly.

Fang Wei's life returned to its original track.

With the harvest season approaching, Fang Wei prepared the necessary equipment and ventured into the mountains with Pan Lianhua.

"Third Brother, it's been a long time since I've been to the mountains. The air here is so much better."

Pan Lianhua was unwilling to go to the provincial capital to become the company's vice president and remained the factory director of the bamboo ware factory. She had two deputy factory directors under her, and she didn't need to worry about the specifics; she just needed to manage the overall operations.

Some people think she lacks ambition, but Fang Wei thinks she's doing a good job as a wife.

Pan Lianhua serves as a bridge between the Yao village and the cooperative. Because she is the factory manager of the bamboo ware factory, Wang Songlin and others have never interfered with the work of the furniture company over the years.

The furniture company thrived without internal strife, which is her greatest achievement.

"Yes, there are always things to do all year round, so it's good to relax once in a while."

Fang Wei didn't plan to go back early today. He and Pan Lianhua brought food and planned to find a place to eat bamboo rice at noon. He was very happy just thinking about it.

Now that their two children aren't around, the couple needs to find some fun on their own, right?
The two chatted as they walked, but neither let their guard down. Fang Wei had already knocked away several venomous snakes. The most common snakes in the forest were bamboo vipers and banded kraits.

Cobras are rare, but they do exist; however, you'll almost never encounter one on a mountain peak.

"Third brother, give me some more medicine powder to sprinkle on my body. There are poisonous insects everywhere, it's so annoying."

Both men were covered in snake and insect repellent powder and were carrying both guns and machetes, making them fully armed.

As they were talking, Fang Wei gestured for silence, and Pan Lianhua immediately shut up. Then, she looked around with her gun in hand. She spotted several rabbits, and the couple, in perfect unison, each aimed at one and fired simultaneously. Two shots, two hits; the rabbits became their lunch.

Upon arriving at the wild chestnut forest, the two walked around and discovered that the area of ​​this wild forest had expanded again. They then went to two other forests, the wild camellia oleifera forest and the loquat forest, whose areas had not changed much.

The fruit on the tree is ripe and will all rot if it is not picked within a month.

Both of them were very relaxed during their outing today, walking slowly, and before they knew it, it was almost noon. They stopped by a stream and began to cook and process their game.

For lunch, they ate bamboo rice and roasted rabbit. Pan Lianhua was in charge of making the bamboo rice, and Fang Wei was in charge of the barbecue. It felt like time had returned to when the two of them were young.

After eating and resting for a while, the two of them went to the herb cultivation base.

The number of venomous snakes in this area has increased significantly, especially the bamboo viper, which often hides among the branches and leaves, making it impossible for inexperienced people to spot it.

"Now I know why no one comes to gather herbs. This place is practically a snake's den. Once someone comes here, they never get out."

Pan Lianhua followed Fang Wei to the center of this large area of ​​herbs, and along the way they saw a large number of poisonous snakes fleeing.

Fang Wei's snake repellent was practically a nemesis of venomous snakes; they all had to avoid the two of them. The few stubborn snakes that dared to resist were all dealt with by Fang Wei, allowing them to safely reach their destination.

“If an ordinary person were bitten by a venomous snake in the mountains, it would be really bad. There is no antivenom here, and snake medicine is not effective against all snake venoms.”

Fang Wei nodded, agreeing that his wife had hit the nail on the head.

Although his medical skills were not particularly refined, his treatment of snake venom was a family heirloom technique that he had perfected. To treat snake bites, he would gather herbs from areas frequented by venomous snakes, applying them both internally and externally – a method that was absolutely effective.

People in the mountains have lived like this for generations. Back then, there was no antivenom serum, and everyone just wanted to survive.

However, his skill cannot be popularized, meaning it cannot be made into a single snake medicine, so it has no economic value.

"Third Brother, isn't someone interested in buying rare herbs? Do you need to come and collect herbs recently?"

"Let's wait until after the harvest season. I'll bring some people from the village then, and we can finish the task in two or three days."

When Fang Wei received the call, her family was on their way to Beijing and had no time to go into the mountains to collect herbs.

He's been busy since he got back, and now he plans to wait a few more days before making any decisions.

In fact, no one would believe it if I told them: the leader of a prestigious cooperative and a renowned breeding expert in China actually had to earn extra money by collecting medicinal herbs.

Pan Lianhua was already used to the way men acted, and since her family wasn't short of money, she didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

But to outsiders, Fang Wei was just foolish, sitting on a mountain of gold and silver without knowing how to benefit himself. If anyone else had his abilities, they would have already become rich; who would want to lead tens of thousands of people in a cooperative?

After leaving the herb cultivation base, the couple went to pick swan mushrooms.

Unfortunately, the two children missed out. This type of wild mushroom has a very short growing season, and it can only be harvested during a few periods each year.

On their way back, the two caught a few more rabbits.

There are so many rabbits on the mountain that, because few people dare to hunt them, they've become an infestation. Fortunately, they have natural predators, so the problem isn't completely out of control.

"Sister, let's clean these rabbits and make them into cured meat. We'll have roasted rabbit for lunch."

The older sister didn't like to eat rabbit meat, and the two of them had just eaten it at noon, so the older sister made several rabbits into cured meat.

Fang Wei's family lived a good standard of living, and they always had chicken, duck, fish, and meat.

The couple had no regrets. Grandpa had enjoyed so many good years at home; he hadn't lost out at all in his life.

"You two, the child is so big, yet you still love to play. It's so dangerous to go into the mountains."

The older sister made a complaint and then went off to do her work.

Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua went to take a bath. Their older sister had already prepared dinner, and soon after, Sun Daoren arrived.

Today we have spicy fish and stir-fried pork liver, as well as two vegetarian dishes. Fang Wei and his wife drank a few cups of wine, and it was quite unusual for Sun Daoren, who rarely drinks, to ask for a couple more.

"Third brother, I have something to tell you. I don't plan to go back to the temple right now. I want to stay and treat patients. When I can't work anymore, you can send me back, okay?"

After drinking two cups of wine, Master Sun suddenly spoke.

He had been thinking about this issue ever since he broke up with Binbin, and today he finally made a decision.

Fang Wei wasn't very surprised. The old Taoist valued enlightenment and believed that cultivating oneself in the mortal world was also about cultivating the mind. Saving a life was more important than chanting scriptures.

With his two disciples managing the Sanqing Temple, it's thriving and he doesn't need to worry about anything. He has enough to eat and drink, and his annual income is more than he can spend. He even uses his own money to help patients who are struggling financially.

If we're talking about living life with clarity and understanding, the old Taoist priest is a cut above his senior brother.

"What's wrong with that? This is your home, and we are all your family. Don't overthink it."

Fang Wei was very happy that Sun Daoren could stay in the village. He would go to the county to complete the necessary procedures for him in a few days, so that he wouldn't be accused of practicing medicine illegally if he needed a medical license in the future.

Master Sun was very happy, but he didn't continue drinking. After finishing his meal, he went home to rest.

A few days later, another client from Southeast Asia came to the cooperative for an on-site inspection. The export business was handled by the provincial import and export company; the cooperative only needed to provide the goods and didn't need to worry about anything else.

The deal went very smoothly; it was another big order that just made up for the increased production this season.

"Secretary, our luck has finally turned around! Does that mean we've already passed the transition period?"

Zhao Jinsheng and others were very happy. If things continued to develop this way, the breeding business of the cooperative could move to a new stage.

"I guess so. The most difficult time is over. Actually, it's all about everyone's mindset. They feel like the sky is falling when they earn less, but in reality, our performance isn't bad."

Fang Wei smiled and pointed at Zhao Jinsheng, without saying much.

Zhao Jinsheng is a simple and honest person who is focused on his work, but he is not very quick-witted.

Fortunately, not many of the board members are like her. Most of them have become more experienced over the years, and those who falter at work have long been replaced.

Fang Weiyi has always attached great importance to the selection of directors, and the selection is basically based on his opinions.

"Secretary, we still have the [Nanguang No. 5] rice seedlings next year. Will we be too busy then?"

Zhao Jinsheng was already agonizing over next year's production plans, which made Fang Wei chuckle. (End of Chapter)