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

Fang Wei ignored the comings and goings, spending every day in the experimental fields collecting various data.

According to his estimate, the harvest should be less than a month away, and if things go smoothly, there should be a harvest in another half month.

He has a total of 400 mu of experimental fields here, of which 200 mu are for breeding and another 200 mu are mainly for trial planting of [Hai Dao 012].

So far, both breeding and seawater rice cultivation have yielded good results. Specific data will only be available after the harvest is complete.

After collecting the data, he hired two local staff members to assist Wang Muqi's work.

Then he took Yang Feng to the city to inspect several projects that Yaoling Real Estate had already launched.

The real estate projects in Shenzhen were all very successful, which was inseparable from Qin Sicheng's strong cooperation. Therefore, he made a point of arranging a meal with him; some relationships still needed to be maintained.

the next day.

Pan Lianhua and her sister arrived in Shenzhen because Fang Wei needed to stay there for a while, so they came to visit Xiao Jie.

That evening, my sister cooked a table of dishes at home. Xiao Jie and Cheng Xiaoyue rushed over as soon as they got off work, as it was a rare day when they didn't have to work overtime.

It would be a joyful time for the whole family to get together, but today someone kept calling Fang Wei. He went to his study after dinner and didn't even come down when his daughter and son-in-law left.

"Chairman, these people are from the Northwest. They visited the seawater rice project and have been pestering Wang Muqi every day to meet you. I reckon they want to talk to you about cooperation, but they won't say anything until they see you."

Right now, he's on the phone with Yang Feng.

He accompanied Pan Lianhua to go shopping during the day, but they didn't go to the experimental field. As a result, Wang Muqi called him several times in the evening.

After Wang Muqi finished his call, Yang Feng called again, and they both talked about the same thing.

The person who kept pestering Wang Muqi was Wu Jiang, the head of a county in a remote area of ​​Northwest China. After visiting the seawater rice project, Wu Jiang felt that his impoverished county might be saved.

Xiachu County is located in the vast Northwest. The county covers a large area, but more than half of the land in the county is saline-alkali land.

Wu Jiang saw hope in seawater rice, and after finding out that the person in charge of the project was Fang Wei, he couldn't wait to meet him.

"Assistant Yang, please make arrangements so that I can meet with Secretary Wu at 10 a.m. tomorrow."

Wang Muqi and Yang Feng both shared many details, and Fang Wei could sense Wu Jiang's sincerity from their words.

He also needed to try planting seawater rice in the inland saline-alkali land, but he didn't know what kind of conditions the other party could offer him.

The next day.

Fang Wei arrived at the experimental field ahead of time, where Wu Jiang and the others had been waiting for a long time.

"Mr. Fang, I apologize for bothering you, but I am very interested in your seawater rice."

Wu Jiang is in his forties, but he looks older than his age and has dark skin.

The other person spoke in a loud and straightforward voice, stating their purpose for meeting Fang Wei as soon as they met.

"How could you say it's an intrusion? Secretary Wu, you've come from afar, please forgive me if I haven't been hospitable enough. Come, let's sit in my office."

Fang Wei was very polite, smiling as he invited Wu Jiang into his office, and then asked Wang Muqi to take good care of Wu Jiang's entourage.

"Mr. Fang, I heard from the introduction that seawater rice has the effect of improving the soil and has a good yield. Is that true? Our county is severely affected by salinization. More than half of the land is saline-alkali land, which cannot grow any crops at all."

To be honest, our county is a nationally designated poverty-stricken county. We have little industry, and our agriculture is underdeveloped—it's shameful! So when I learned that you had successfully developed seawater rice, I immediately came to visit.”

Wu Jiang first introduced the situation in the county, and just listening to it, one could imagine the desolation and poverty.

At this point, he picked up his teacup, took a few sips of tea, and then gave Fang Wei some time to digest the information.

Then he continued, "I want to introduce seawater rice, but I'm worried that I won't be able to master the technology. So I have a favor to ask: I'd like to cooperate with you, Mr. Fang. If it goes well, you can have another production base, right?"

"There's nothing wrong with cooperation. My ultimate goal in developing the seawater rice project is to promote it. And as you can see, our experimental fields are actually on tidal flats. I originally wanted to continue the experiments in inland saline-alkali land."

"Secretary Wu, please don't be offended by what I'm about to say, but your county is located in the far northwest, which is incredibly remote. If you want us to go there, ordinary offers won't sway me."

Fang Wei didn't play games with the other party. Just because the other party came to investigate after hearing about the seawater rice project, he was definitely a person who got things done.

He made it very clear that saline-alkali land exists in many parts of the country, and there is no reason for him to go to such lengths unless Wujiang can demonstrate its sincerity.

"Our Xiachu County is very underdeveloped and has a weak economy, but we are absolutely sincere. If you, Mr. Fang, are going to conduct experiments in our area, we can first provide you with 10,000 mu of saline-alkali land free of charge, and solve problems such as water, electricity, and irrigation free of charge."

We can't offer much in terms of funding, but we will ensure you receive all the policy subsidies you are entitled to. Regarding loans, I will try to connect you with banks; I only hope you can bring about new changes in the county's agricultural production.

Wu Jiang spoke very frankly, and the conditions he offered weren't particularly good, but they were definitely full of sincerity.

Saline-alkali land is worthless, but Fang Wei cares a lot about the other party's attitude. If the attitude is right, things will be easier later on; otherwise, it will be very troublesome.

"Secretary Wu, how about this, I'll take some time to visit your county and we can talk again after that."

Fang Wei felt he had a fairly good eye for people, and he had a very good impression of Wu Jiang. However, he couldn't let emotions cloud his judgment, so he planned to investigate further before making a decision.

"Thank you, Mr. Fang! Thank you, Mr. Fang!"

Wu Jiang was overjoyed. He knew very well that from an economic perspective, the other party would never go to such a remote place as the Northwest.

It's not like there aren't saline-alkali lands inland; generally speaking, who would want to go to such lengths?
Fang Wei's choice was also driven by a sense of mission. The vast Northwest has a wealth of land, and if the problems of water supply and planting techniques in saline-alkali land can be solved, the resulting social and economic benefits will be unparalleled.

He did this project himself and didn't need financial support from Professor Ma and Professor Lin. However, the other party could get a share of the profits from the breeding income.

Therefore, he doesn't need to think too much; he can make the decision himself.

"Secretary Wu, you're too kind! I'll treat you to lunch, and we can discuss some details later."

Fang Wei smiled and then left the office with the other person.

noon.

He treated Wu Jiang and his group to a seafood feast in the city, and when he heard that they were planning to go back in the next couple of days, he was intrigued.

“Secretary Wu, I might as well go with you, so we can finish the inspection sooner and get things done sooner.”

Upon hearing that Fang Wei planned to go back with him, Wu Jiang was naturally overjoyed.

He hadn't expected the other party to be so efficient, and Fang Wei's gratitude deepened even further.

After the meal, Fang Wei had Wu Jiang and the others taken back to their hotel to rest, while he, Yang Feng, and Wang Muqi returned to the experimental field.

Given the limited conditions here, Fang Wei leaned back in his chair and dozed off for a while, but his mind was still preoccupied with who to send to Xia Chu County in the future. It was going to be a tough job, thousands of miles away, requiring not only the ability to endure hardship but also the skills to succeed.

Wang Muqi is undoubtedly a suitable candidate, but it's unclear whether the other party is willing.

Later, he called the other party into his office and talked to them.

"Conditions in Xiachu County will definitely be tough, and starting from scratch will present many challenges. You need to think carefully about whether you can persevere. Of course, your salary will double there, and you'll get two and a half months of vacation every winter."

Fang Wei did not hide the difficulties he faced there, and also offered some favorable terms.

Doubling his income is the bare minimum, and he also gets a two-and-a-half-month long vacation, which he can choose for himself.

"Secretary, I'm willing to go there. As long as I don't stay there permanently, can you give me a deadline?"

Wang Muqi certainly didn't want to spend his whole life in the remote Northwest.

But if he could work there for three to five years and then come back, he felt there wouldn't be any problem.

"Let's set the term at three years for now, and I'll arrange for someone to replace you when the time comes. Also, you should ask your colleagues for their opinions; it would be best if two or three people could go with you."

Fang Wei had this plan all along; he couldn't let Wang Muqi stay there forever.

Implementing a rotation system is the best arrangement, and coupled with high salaries, I estimate that some people will still be willing to go.

Sure enough, after receiving Fang Wei's promise, Wang Muqi left the office to inquire with several members of the breeding team, and two of them immediately expressed their willingness to go to Xiachu County with him.

Fang Wei felt that three people should be enough, and if not, they could send more people at any time.

night.

Back home, Fang Wei called Wang Sanqi in the Yao village and asked him to send two more members of the breeding team to Shenzhen.

The breeding team in the Yao village has a considerable number of members, and they have grown significantly over the years, with a well-established talent development model. Therefore, sending a group of people out would not be a problem.

Two days later.

Fang Wei, Yang Feng, and Wang Muqi followed Wu Jiang and his group by plane to Northwest China.

After getting off the plane, they were still hundreds of kilometers away from Xiachu County, which left Yang Feng and his companions speechless. The vast Northwest was filled with desolate Gobi deserts and salt flats.

The area is sparsely populated and its natural landscape is completely different from that of the south.

"Secretary, is there water here?"

Wang Muqi's heart sank. It was already early autumn, and while the south was still very hot, it was about to snow in the northwest.

"There is definitely a water source, you can rest assured about that."

Wu Jiang quickly replied that he understood the other person's feelings, and that it would probably take some time to adapt to this difference.

After a long journey, the group finally arrived in Xiachu County. (End of Chapter)