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

Because of his past life's experience, Fang Wei focused his research on new soybean varieties after successfully cultivating [Yu Xiang 183].

Of course, soybeans are not that simple. Because arable land in China is limited, the priority is to ensure the security of staple food. Even with improved soybean varieties, it is impossible to occupy too much arable land.

But something is better than nothing.

Given the same arable land area, and disregarding other indicators, increased yields will result in the production of more cash crops.

“Take it slow. We’re just a fairly large agricultural company; we can’t do everything. Come on, let’s eat and drink, and let’s not talk about these heavy topics.”

Fang Wei then changed the subject, and everyone chatted and laughed until they were full before leaving.

The next day.

After handling a few official business matters in the office in the morning, Fang Wei went to the breeding research institute.

Colleagues from the Crop Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences are also conducting joint research on bio-genetic breeding here. The institute has provided active cooperation and has benefited greatly from the joint research project.

In addition, the research institute is using new technologies to screen for higher-quality soybean varieties, which is also a task assigned to them by Fang Wei.

"Secretary Fang, thank you so much! Your approval of our equipment procurement list is like adding wings to a tiger, and our research is progressing very smoothly now."

The colleagues at the Crop Research Institute expressed their gratitude to Fang Wei, since some of the equipment was not even available in the institute itself, yet this small breeding research institute had all of it.

Fang Wei smiled and waved his hand, saying that he was providing equipment for his own research institute and there was no need for colleagues from other units to express their gratitude to him.

No one dwelled on these issues and quickly took him to visit the project's progress.

After touring the site, he was very satisfied with the progress of the project.

They are developing a new soybean variety that yields far above the national average. However, there is a problem: this soybean has poor disease resistance, and once it leaves the experimental fields for large-scale promotion, the yield will be difficult to guarantee.

Colleagues at the research institute and the crop research institute are currently trying to overcome this problem, but there is no hope of success in sight for the time being.

Fang Wei didn't say anything. When he left, he had someone pack a sack of soybean seeds and then went to the experimental field of a large production team.

The Yao village's advantage lies in the variation of crop varieties, while the first breeding team's advantage lies in using traditional breeding methods to cultivate superior varieties.

"Give me a separate experimental field so I can try out the application of new technologies."

Gene technology is useless for Fang Wei. The attributes are solidified during the cultivation of crop seeds, which is more reliable than gene editing.

After obtaining a separate experimental field, Fang Wei adjusted the attribute values, increasing the resistance value and also improving some of the growth speed values.

Both the experimental fields in the Yao village and the experimental fields in the brigade have long been greenhouse-scaled, so they are not restricted by seasons and climate, and related experimental activities can be carried out all year round.

All of this is based on a strong financial foundation.

After giving his instructions, Fang Wei drove to the Yao village.

There were also some seeds on the vehicle, which were cultivated directly in the experimental fields of the Yao village, without any special focus on resistance.

He wanted to see what effect the mutation attribute would have on this obviously defective breed.

"I don't need your meticulous cultivation; what I need is speed. The key is to cultivate it to maturity as quickly as possible."

Fang Wei also gave instructions to the people in the experimental field, and then he left the Yao village.

By the time Wang Songlin arrived, he had already driven down the mountain.

A few days passed quickly.

Fang Wei received a call from Wang Songlin. The soybean variety he had cultivated had finally mutated after several rounds of planting.

However, this mutation was not very effective, and the increase in production was limited; it was better than nothing.

"Third Brother, how could this be? We've already found the mutated species, but the results are so poor."

Even Wang Songlin found it hard to accept and asked the people in the experimental field if they hadn't been doing their jobs properly.

The brothers felt wronged, as they had been working diligently to cultivate soybeans these past few days, sometimes so busy that they didn't even have time to eat.

"It's not their fault. The original variety was probably too weak, so even if they found a mutated variety, the effect wouldn't be very good. Alright, let's just give up on this variety of soybean and deal with it later."

After thinking for a while, Fang Wei found the crux of the problem.

It wasn't that a few people didn't work diligently; rather, the original soybean variety was simply inadequate. Therefore, mutation isn't a panacea; without a solid foundation, satisfactory results cannot be achieved.

Time flies.

Soybean seeds cultivated in the experimental fields of the first brigade and soybean seeds cultivated in the Yao village matured one after another.

In terms of yield, there is no fundamental difference between the two, but the soybean varieties cultivated by the first batch have significantly improved resistance.

To be on the safe side, Fang Wei instructed the two units to continue breeding the existing soybean varieties until their genetic characteristics were completely stable.

Through this experiment, he can at least draw one conclusion: although the soybean varieties jointly screened by the research institute and the crop institute have defects, Fang Wei is confident that he can make up for them.

The colleagues at the research institute and the crop institute have a very slim chance of succeeding in solving this problem through gene technology.

Fang Wei put the matter aside for the time being. With the end of the year approaching, there were many things to deal with, and he needed to focus on handling them.

"Secretary, the company is about to hold a meeting to formulate next year's production plan. How about we all go to Yaoling Township?"

This morning.

Fang Wei was working in his office when Cai Tong called.

In the blink of an eye, another year is about to pass, and a new year is just around the corner. It's time to formulate next year's production plan, otherwise things will be chaotic after spring arrives.

"I'll go to the provincial capital. Wait, I'll be there tomorrow."

Fang Wei wouldn't let a group of people come to the village just to accommodate him.

He also happened to want to visit the provincial capital, so he drove there early the next morning and held a meeting at the company headquarters on the third day to formulate the production plan for the following year.

"In the new year, we need to do several things. First, the [Nanguang No. 5] rice variety will enter a stable production phase. The previous profits have been realized, and the next step is to stabilize the existing market share."

[Yuxiang183] We need to increase our efforts in cultivating corn seeds. Once the results are in, the sales of new corn seed varieties will take another leap forward.

As for other matters, they need to be handled according to local conditions and actual circumstances, so we won't discuss them today.

Fang Wei didn't mention any specific numbers, but everyone present already had a general idea.

The breeding plans for the 【Nanguang No. 4】 and 【Nongyou 82】 rice varieties remain unchanged, with 40,000 mu of land each to be cultivated, and the production site will be located at the Yaoling Cooperative. The cooperative has 80,000 mu of paddy fields, and the two varieties of rice will be divided equally among the cooperative members.

All 40,000 mu of farmland at Xinlin Farm and the 40,000 mu of farmland at the breeding center are used to cultivate the "Nanguang No. 5" rice variety.

The 60,000 mu of paddy fields in Yangshan Farm will be used to grow the "Nanguang No. 5" rice variety. Since they cannot be left idle, they can bring some income.

This season's dryland will primarily be used to cultivate [Yu Xiang 183] corn seeds. Once the results from other people's seeds are in, they may sell out in a very short time, so we must prepare a sufficient supply. Other matters were also discussed, and a production plan for next year was freshly drawn up.

"Chairman, do you have any further instructions?"

Cai Tong then turned to Fang Wei, as if to ask if the meeting could be adjourned.

"That's all, meeting adjourned."

Fang Wei didn't want everyone to just sit there idly. He suggested that once the discussion was over, everyone should disperse and go about their own business.

After leaving the meeting room, he went to his office.

Cai Tong then followed and asked, "Chairman, the company is about to conduct its year-end settlement. Have you thought about the profit distribution plan?"

"The plan is already in place. This year, we'll increase it slightly, distributing dividends at a standard of 3000 yuan per person. After the year-end calculations are completed, you can write a report, and once I sign it, the dividends can be distributed."

This year's results are quite good, but they may decline next year.

The reason is simple: the seed market is saturated. The seed market has a limited capacity, so breeding companies will all encounter a ceiling in their performance and cannot develop indefinitely.

Of course, Yaoling agriculture can also start from other aspects, such as cultivating more crop seeds.

However, this is constrained by land area, especially the conversion between paddy fields and dry land is very troublesome. If these problems are not solved, fluctuations in the company's performance will be the norm.

Fortunately, the total amount of dividends to be distributed is fixed. The amount of land owned by the original cooperative, plus the amount of land owned by the Yao Village and Tian Bingyi Cooperative, is the final basis for the distribution of dividends.

Land such as the breeding center and the two farms are not included, nor are any land acquired in the future.

Therefore, the number of individuals receiving dividends is fixed and will not increase. As long as the company can maintain its current profit level, there will not be much of a problem with dividends.

The premise is that the dividend standard cannot be increased significantly; a steady and gradual approach is the way to long-term success.

"Ok, I see."

Cai Tong didn't say anything else. After discussing the matter, he left the office.

Fang Wei sat down and made a phone call to Wu Yaoyang's secretary, saying that he wanted to take some time to visit his old boss.

"The boss is very busy lately, how about next week? Will you still be in the provincial capital next week?"

"It should be there. I'll contact you when the time comes."

The two quickly ended the call. Fang Wei then went to visit various departments in the company and then went to the furniture company.

"Third brother, I've been so busy lately, but thankfully, the company's performance has finally stopped declining and is starting to pick up again."

When Fang Ping saw his third brother, he couldn't help but pour out his grievances.

Competition in the furniture industry is already fierce, and the last price increase controversy did have some negative impacts.

The most obvious sign was the company's declining performance and customer loss, which really made him work hard for a while. Fortunately, the situation has now been reversed, otherwise he would have started to doubt himself.

"Business is bound to have its ups and downs, and the fact that it has stabilized again is a good sign."

Fang Wei didn't say anything. He never interfered in the company's operations and management, nor did he offer any random opinions.

Ultimately, this whole affair stemmed from a problem with the eldest brother's business strategy, and the subsequent corrective measures led to such a significant upheaval. Fortunately, the most difficult period has passed, and the company is poised for even greater growth.

The two brothers chatted for about an hour before Fang Wei got up and went to his home in the provincial capital.

Upon entering the courtyard, he saw his older sister preparing dinner, so he smiled and asked her to cook for one more person, as he would also be eating at home that evening.

"Third brother, you're just like Lianhua, coming and going as you please, treating this place like a hotel?"

"Look at what you're saying, sister. I'll install some telephones at home later, so I can notify you in advance if anything happens."

Fang Wei didn't care about her older sister's complaints, but there was indeed a telephone installed at home.

The older sister then fell silent and went to busy herself with cooking.

evening.

Xiao Jie was overjoyed to see Fang Wei when she came home from school.

The two children in the Fang family are very close to their parents, which may be related to the family's parenting style.

During the meal, Xiaojie kept talking about things at school, and Fang Wei listened with great interest, occasionally chiming in with a comment.

The father and daughter chatted for a while, and after dinner, Xiaojie went to school for evening self-study.

After evening self-study, it's usually the older sister who picks up the child. But today was different; Fang Wei was the one who picked him up and dropped him off, and the child kept talking to him the whole way.

the next day.

Fang Wei dropped Xiao Jie off and then drove to the company.

In the morning, he suddenly received a call from Wu Yaoyang's secretary, who said that one of the leader's events for the evening had been canceled at the last minute, and that he could have dinner with him.

Fang Wei was a little disappointed that she couldn't finish her meal with her daughter, but she still readily agreed.

night.

Fang Wei met Wu Yaoyang in an inconspicuous restaurant.

"Secretary Fang, thank you for remembering to come see me. I will soon be retiring from my post. If you need anything, please let me know. After I retire, I'm afraid I won't be able to help you anymore."

"Old boss, I just wanted to see you, there's really nothing wrong."

As they ate and chatted, Fang Wei noticed that Wu Yaoyang had aged considerably and his health was not as good as before.

Wu Yaoyang was quite pleased to hear this. He and Fang Wei had known each other since Xinlin County, which meant they had known each other for many years and had always gotten along well.

"I heard you've got into a battle with several major international companies? We bring in foreign investment hoping they'll bring advanced technology, but I didn't expect you to have gone so far in breeding. I'm very happy."

The two didn't have a fixed topic of conversation, so they just chatted casually.

The meal lasted less than an hour before the secretary came in to tell Wu Yaoyang that there were other matters to attend to, and Wu Yaoyang had no choice but to end the meeting with regret.

Fang Wei returned home and went to pick up Xiao Jie.

He stayed in the provincial capital for a week before returning to his hometown.

Pan Lianhua wondered if she and her husband were being too biased towards their daughter. They spent all their time thinking about how to take care of her, while neglecting their son in the capital.

"Binbin is a boy, so it's better for him to become independent early on, to lay a good foundation for him when he enters society. If we take too good care of him, it will be hard for him to grow up."

Fang Wei smiled and shook her head, seemingly unconcerned. (End of Chapter)