The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 306 Screening Pesticides, Imported High-Efficiency Pesticides
Inside the Haibin City Supply and Marketing Cooperative.

The conference room door was gently pushed open a crack.

Holding two scrolls of documents, Qian Jin sneaked inside like an old cat sneaking into an old house.

As a result, Wei Bin spotted him immediately and waved at him: "Director Qian, have you found out anything about this matter?"

Qian Jinzhan walked over and handed him the documents, saying, "We've made some discoveries."

"Wei She, Section Chief Ruan, didn't we discuss pyrethroid insecticides this morning? I think we just stumbled upon this by sheer luck."

"Because I contacted a colleague at the Ministry of Foreign Trade in Beijing, who is a friend I met during this business trip to Beijing. He attends the Canton Fair every year."

"Then, according to his recollection, during the Canton Fair last autumn, he had contact with ICI, also known as Imperial Chemical Industries, in the chemical and pharmaceutical trading area."

"He said that ICI's technical representatives had presented some of the latest pesticide samples for promotion, including an oil-based pesticide called high-efficiency cypermethrin. Their technical representatives emphasized that this insecticide had a special and groundbreaking effect on piercing-sucking pests, especially on a variety of aphids."

"High-efficiency cypermethrin?" An old expert from the agricultural bureau frowned and repeated the tongue-twisting foreign name in a low voice, his face full of deep doubt.

He had never even heard of the medicine, let alone its effects.

This is normal.

These veteran experts no longer have the vision and energy to pay attention to international technological breakthroughs and developments. They can only serve the people within their comfort zone. Once they leave their comfort zone, their performance is not as good as that of today's college students.

The leaders and experts from the agricultural unit looked at each other in bewilderment.

After noticing this, Wei Bin said directly, "Do you think this young comrade is just a naive young man who doesn't understand the facts and fantasizes about solving all problems by relying on foreign technology?"

Is he the kind of young man who always thinks the grass is greener on the other side?

“No, no, not at all,” one leader chuckled. “We know Director Qian’s name. We are well aware of the contributions he made to the No. 6 State-owned Cotton Mill and our Haibin Fertilizer Plant.”

Wei Bin nodded and then shook his head: "Comrades, your understanding of him is superficial, while I know this key member of our Foreign Investment Office all too well."

"He is a capable person with a quick mind and fluent foreign languages. What is even more rare is his tenacity, which is not afraid of death and dares to take risks."

"You only know about the two tough battles he helped our sister company fight, but in fact, he was the one who spearheaded many of our company's tough battles with foreign businesses. In particular, last autumn, when many of our high-quality agricultural products for export were unsold, it was he who found the customers."

"In addition, there are some projects that foreign investors have set traps for, taking advantage of the fact that we have just started to contact the international market. But they have all been caught. I don't know how many international commodity negotiation contracts were won through bloodshed!"

Wei Bin introduced him solemnly, and then continued, "Come on, Comrade Qian Jin, please continue."

Having received the president's approval, Qian Jin straightened his back and quickened his pace:
"The colleagues in the foreign trade department were very impressed with ICI. Their PPT presentation was very professional, and the comparison charts of the efficacy of various stubborn aphids were extremely intuitive, which attracted him deeply at the time."

"Furthermore, the ICI technical representative also mentioned that a highly efficient cypermethrin emulsifier is a new type of powerful pyrethroid insecticide, which has a different insecticidal mechanism than the existing mainstream pesticides in China."

"According to the recollections of comrades from the Ministry of Foreign Trade, they used a type of aphid for the demonstration. This type of aphid was a mutant aphid that could not be killed by a variety of mainstream pesticides in the world, such as organochlorine pesticides, organophosphate pesticides, and carbamate pesticides."

"I believe that the insect infestation we are facing now is very similar to the extreme cases they have presented! I deduce that this medicine may very well be our only hope!"

Wei Bin asked, "So what do you mean?"

Qian Jin said, “Leaders, time is of the essence. I request that we urgently contact all parties, such as Hong Kong trade, Malaysian overseas Chinese, and European partners, to obtain samples through international channels as soon as possible for testing.”

Wei Bin said, "That suits me perfectly."

"In addition, I think it's not just this new type of pyrethroid insecticide that we should try, but also other types of insecticides that we don't have in China or that we haven't used in wheat fields yet."

Qian Jin nodded: "Yes, leader, your idea needs to be more comprehensive."

Several veteran leaders and experts anticipated defeat even before the battle began:

"A British company? It's too far away to solve our immediate problem. Wouldn't it take a month or two for their pesticides to arrive? By then, it'll be too late."

"Foreign pesticides, especially these new types, are too expensive. I'm not trying to discourage you, but Mr. Qian, you probably don't know how expensive new pesticides and veterinary drugs are. Those foreigners take advantage of our inferior technology and production capacity to charge exorbitant prices..."

"Yes, and besides, you need foreign exchange to buy things abroad, right? And foreign exchange isn't so easy to get approved."

"The most important thing is, who knows if that foreign stuff is reliable or not?"

Wei Bin slammed his hand on the table, making a teacup jump with a loud bang: "What's all the fuss about! Do you think the bugs will wait for you to come to a conclusion?"

His gaze swept across the entire room, finally landing heavily on Qian Jin's face, young yet with the most resolute fighting spirit:
"Director Qian, I'm authorizing you. You can use our connections to contact whoever you need to cooperate with, and arrange for whoever you need to do what."

"Then we must spare no effort to obtain samples of that high-efficiency cypermethrin emulsifier and authoritative data on its insecticidal effects as quickly as possible. Furthermore, I will take full responsibility for all the consequences arising from this matter!"

This time, Wei Bin really put on the airs of a high-ranking leader.

Every word is as firm as a nail, leaving no room for doubt.

Qian Jin said, "Leader, the comrades' concerns are actually reasonable. I don't think it's a problem."

"The permethrin insecticide from Guangling Pesticide Factory is already on its way. Once it arrives, we will send it to the insect infestation site for use as soon as possible."

“I don’t understand pharmacology, but I think high-efficiency cypermethrin and permethrin are like cousins. If permethrin has no effect at all, then we don’t need to put our effort into high-efficiency cypermethrin.”

"If permethrin is effective..."

"Then why not just have Guangling Pesticide Factory work overtime to increase production?" Vice President Yi Xuebing said subconsciously.

He then casually waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, I'm classmates with Director Du of Guangling Pesticide Factory. He can definitely help us."

Qian Jin looked at Ruan Fugui.

This is not something he needs to solve.

Ruan Fugui stood up and said helplessly, "Vice President Yi, alas, the research on pyrethroid pesticides in our country is just beginning, and we do not yet have the capacity for large-scale production."

"The pesticides that were transported back this time are the results of their laboratory production, and the quantity is not large."

Yi Xuebing thought for a moment and said, "In any case, let's see if this pesticide is effective first. If it is effective, there will always be a way to solve the production problem, right?"

At this point, Qian Jin could only say yes.

But he knew it wouldn't work.

While ordinary permethrin is effective against the current aphid infestation, its effect is insufficient. Ultimately, a more potent and efficient cypermethrin is needed to save the day.

The pesticides that a large corporation like ICI invests heavily in researching must have unique effects; otherwise, how would they make money?

This company may not be well-known domestically, but its signature products are extremely famous.

The famous drug that gives suicide victims time to regret, but not the opportunity to regret.

Paraquat!
After the meeting ended, Qian Jin returned to his office and started making phone calls.

The network of contacts I've built up over the past two years always comes in handy when needed.

He held the microphone in one hand to contact several acquaintances, while rummaging through his business card holder with the other.

Then, a useful person appeared.

Liu Wenjie, Manager of the International Business Department of Tse Sui Luen Group in Hong Kong.

Qian Jin recalled the man's situation and dialed the number: "Hello...hello...long-distance operator, Hong Kong needed, urgent!"

"Please transfer me to Mr. Liu Wenjie, Manager of the International Business Department of Tse Sui Luen Group. His phone number is..."

After a period of waiting, a soft, masculine voice suddenly pierced through the crackling sound of electricity: "Hello? This is Liu Wenjie."

He spoke Mandarin, but with a heavy Hong Kong accent.

"Manager Liu, good evening. I apologize for disturbing you. It's me, Qian Jin from the Haibin City Supply and Marketing Cooperative. I still want to say that I'm very sorry to bother you so late at night!" Qian Jin said solemnly.

"That's right, a major aphid infestation has broken out in our area, and the wheat fields of the local people are in imminent danger."

"However, after our discussion, we found that ICI Company has a product called Special Cypermethrin Emulsifier. We are currently unable to contact them. As far as I know, the company has a branch in your area."

"So I would like to ask for your help to get the samples and related information as quickly as possible!"

"To be honest, this is extremely urgent; it's a matter of life and death."

He was quite confident about this task.

Tse Sui Luen is a luxury goods company, and its business expansion requires the approval of the wealthy and powerful.

There aren't many wealthy people in mainland China right now, but anyone with a discerning eye can see the market potential behind it.

Since last year, Tse Sui Luen has been focused on entering the mainland market, first building its brand to gain social recognition, and then seizing the opportunity to reap the rewards when the mainland economy takes off.

Therefore, Liu Wenjie, as the person in charge of international business, attached great importance to the relationships within the supply and marketing cooperative. He happened to have been on a business trip to Haibin City, so he visited Qian Jin.

He brought Qian Jin a gift, and Qian Jin returned the gift. The two had a very pleasant conversation.

There was almost no silence on the other end of the phone. Liu Wenjie immediately agreed, "I understand. But what kind of emulsifier is it? I couldn't hear clearly just now. But it's an ICI product, right?"

“I know about ICI. Their offices are in Central. I can send someone to contact them immediately to get samples and a detailed technical evaluation report.”

Qian Jin thanked him and then repeated the name of the insecticide word by word.

Liu Wenjie was decisive and efficient: "I've got it in mind. We'll get it sorted out tonight and try to send it directly to Guangzhou and then to the seaside tomorrow. Don't worry! This is a matter of life and death, we won't delay!"

He then inquired about the insect infestation situation and said that he would contact him directly if there were any new needs.

He even gave Qian Jin his home phone number for this purpose.

Qian Jin was very grateful to him.

It was already past closing time when I finished this task.

He can't walk.

Wei Bin was going to hold a party, and the heads of supply and marketing cooperatives from all the counties and communes under Haibin's jurisdiction had arrived. They hadn't even had dinner before preparing for the meeting.

Qian Jin felt it was too much to torture people like this.

After all, some communes were far from the city, and the person in charge of the supply and marketing cooperative must have rushed here, and now he was tired and hungry.

So he told Wei Bin and called over the mobile canteen staff under his command.

There are no disposable lunch boxes available yet.

Qian Jin then had his men steam buns.

The mobile canteen project is no longer limited to barbecue, oden, and mala tang; it has added steamers for steaming buns and cooking pots for making and cooking dumplings on-site.

Wei Qinghuan personally taught several recipes for steamed buns and dumplings, ensuring that the steamed buns and dumplings at the People's Mobile Canteen tasted absolutely delicious.

The fillings are ready-made. After the dough is kneaded and fermented, the buns are wrapped and steamed. When the tricycle arrives, the workers open the steamer, revealing large, fluffy, white buns inside.

The cadres devoured the cabbage and pork buns and the chive, egg, and dried shrimp buns, praising them highly.

Early April nights are just as cold as the mornings.

In this kind of weather, hungry leaders would absolutely love a freshly baked steamed bun.

After dinner, Wei Bin chaired a meeting.

Qian Jin waited for the truck delivering the pesticides to arrive.

In this situation, every second of waiting is agonizing.

Around 10 o'clock, the first batch of permethrin technical material urgently allocated from Guangling Pesticide Factory was finally delivered to the supply and marketing cooperative's office building.

Without a moment's rest, Qian Jin immediately jumped into the car loaded with medicine and personally escorted it.

While using cars to transport pesticides is certainly fast, it suggests that this batch of permethrin is not large.

Sure enough, Qian Jin asked around in the car and found that there were probably at most 200 kilograms of pesticide powder in the trunk.

Under the thick, impenetrable night sky, the car drove towards the front lines where the insect infestation was most critical.

Tugou Commune and Damiaogou Commune.

These two communes are close to each other. In the morning, the supply and marketing cooperative went to Damiaogou Commune.

As the saying goes, those who are near the water get the moon first, and these two communes became the first places to have access to the new medicines.

The headlights of the Hudu brand sedan were like two sharp swords of light cleaving through the dark dirt road.

As soon as the car stopped beside the threshing ground of Wangjia Production Brigade, Zhang Weimin, secretary of Tugou Commune, Li Maochun, secretary of Damiaogou Commune, and Wang Shoucai, the brigade leader of Wangjia Production Brigade, who had been waiting overnight after receiving the news, all surrounded it.

Following behind them was a group of commune members with bloodshot eyes and clothes covered in mud; many of them probably hadn't slept well for the past few days.

Without any pleasantries, he went straight to the point: "Boss, the medicine has arrived?!" Zhang Weimin's voice was terribly hoarse; he had been running around in the fields for the past week or so.

"Here it is! Quickly prepare the sprayer and water—ready? Dilute it to the highest concentration at a ratio of 1 to 20 and spray! Hurry!" Qian Jin ordered as he jumped out of the car.

The members of the spraying team, who were already prepared, immediately rushed up to unload the goods, then weighed them and added water.

The entire Wang Shoucai brigade was the first to take action.

Under the faint moonlight, several Tiger Head brand flashlights were illuminated.

The beam of this flashlight was too dim and not bright enough, so Qian Jin immediately pulled out a high-powered lithium battery flashlight.

Adjust the angle to its maximum.

The pure white light illuminated a vast expanse of land, causing many to gasp in astonishment.

"Is this a flashlight? It's brighter than car headlights!"

The members casually remarked, and then participated in the work of distributing the medicinal powder and weighing it to prepare the medicine.

The beam of light flickered, and the group headed towards the wheat field.

Qian Jin stood at the edge of the field and shone his light on the wheat field. The commune members carried heavy Gongnong-16 manual sprayers and, under the technician's urgent commands, sprayed the newly prepared permethrin solution onto the wheat seedlings that had already been eaten black and curled by aphids.

Time ticked away amidst the intense operation.

For the first ten minutes or so, there didn't seem to be much change.

The villagers' eyes, which had been filled with eager anticipation, slowly began to dim again.

However, Zhang Weimin, Li Maochun, and other commune cadres all came from grassroots backgrounds, and they were very familiar with the process of using pesticides to kill insects.

"Don't rush, everyone be patient. It takes half a day for this person to get diarrhea after eating rotten sweet potatoes. Do you think insects die instantly when they come into contact with medicine?"

"Yes, this is pesticide, not a miracle drug. Please wait a moment."

They told the members to wait patiently, but they themselves were pacing anxiously.

Each of them had a furrowed brow and a solemn expression, as if they were cast in bronze or iron.

Qian Jin also held his breath, leaning down to stare intently at the wheat leaves in front of him.

"Huh? It moved! No, it stopped moving, the bug, the bug seems to have stopped moving!"

Someone was carefully shining a flashlight on a leaf when he suddenly shouted excitedly.

These words were like a pebble thrown into water; several more flashlights lit up, and the commune members and cadres rushed into the ground.

really!

Under the beam of the flashlight, the blackish-green aphids that had been greedily sucking sap and crawling around not long ago were noticeably less active.

They seemed to be under a slowing spell, their movements becoming extremely sluggish and slow, even trembling slightly as they remained on the leaves, no longer moving and biting as recklessly as before.

"God! It worked! It worked!" The commune members burst into long-suppressed cheers, many with tears welling up in their eyes, as if they had seen a glimmer of hope for life.

Captain Wang Shoucai slapped his thigh and shouted, "Quick, keep spraying! Spray the rest of the fields!"

"Have the people behind continue mixing the potion, and hurry up and spray it on me!"

The atmosphere in the wheat field suddenly changed, filled with renewed energy, and the spraying of pesticides became more vigorous and full of anticipation.

Qian Jin could only sigh at everyone's excitement.

He knew the situation wasn't that simple.

Otherwise, the country in the previous life wouldn't have had to spend huge sums of foreign exchange to purchase high-efficiency cypermethrin.

So instead of being overjoyed like the others, he traded his super handheld lamp with a fellow member for a flashlight and squatted down next to a sprayed wheat seedling to observe it carefully.

He parted the dense leaves and carefully poked at a few seemingly "motionless" black aphids with a twig.

Unsurprisingly, it happened immediately upon contact.

These aphids are not completely dead or stiff, but their ability to move is severely inhibited.

They are not motionless, but rather they move their tiny legs very slowly and with great effort after being touched, their mouthparts still pressed tightly against the leaves.

That's not a big deal. What's more important is that the tiny, sesame-seed-like insect eggs around the aphids are still shiny and clustered together under the flashlight, showing absolutely no abnormalities.

Zhang Weimin was excitedly waving his cotton hat when Qian Jin couldn't help but pull him aside and whisper, "Secretary Zhang, it's not that simple."

"What's wrong?" Zhang Weimin respected him because he had been very responsible for his promise to the farmers that morning, and also because he had gone to great lengths to personally deliver the medicine that evening.

Qian Jin said in a low voice, "This medicine failed to kill the aphids."

Zhang Weimin was dumbfounded: "No, really? I just went to check, and the aphids slowed down at first, then stopped moving altogether. This... this... let me tell you, it's pesticides..."

He said he looked at it more carefully.

Then I couldn't continue.

The crowd was still cheering.

Zhang Weimin could only shout helplessly, "Stop!"

The shout instantly drowned out the cheers of the commune members. Zhang Weimin said dejectedly, "Don't be so happy, everyone. Take another look!"

His serious, almost cold tone quickly silenced the surrounding noise.

The group moved closer again.

This time, under brighter light and longer scrutiny, the joy on the members' faces faded quickly, like a flame extinguished by cold water, leaving only a deeper sense of fear and helplessness.

The experienced farmer quickly realized that the aphids were not dead!
Still struggling to survive!

Wang Shoucai cried out in despair, "What's going on? What's happening? Why aren't they dead yet? They're like centipedes that die but don't fall down!"

Many people then began to wail in despair.

Some people even knelt on the ground and punched the aphids and insect eggs on the wheat seedlings.

This is the only way they can vent their anger.

Qian Jin said loudly, "Comrades, the theory of quick victory is unacceptable, but the theory of quick defeat is even more wrong."

"This time, the pesticide wasn't ineffective, but rather less effective. Isn't this already progress? Comrades, isn't this the dawn of victory?"

Zhang Weimin asked blankly, "Boss, what exactly is going on?"

Qian Jin said, "According to my understanding, if we explain it scientifically, the pesticide permethrin is very ineffective at killing these aphids. It can only interfere with the transmission of neurotransmitters to a certain extent, which means it has a knockdown effect."

"Permethrin can cause temporary paralysis and decreased vitality in aphids. It does not have systemic properties and cannot penetrate the insect's exoskeleton to kill it completely. It is almost ineffective, especially against aphids in hidden places and protected eggs attached to the underside of leaves."

"So your current immobility is probably just temporary paralysis; once the drug's effects wear off..."

"It's over, it's all over, what are we going to do..." Before the secretary could finish listening, Li Maochun collapsed onto the cold, muddy ground.

Other members were even more devastated, and many asked what to do, their voices trembling with tears.

When the villagers who had been spraying pesticides returned and learned what had happened, all their strength seemed to vanish.

The glimmer of hope that had just appeared in their eyes was completely extinguished, leaving only profound despair: "This medicine, this medicine still doesn't work?"

"What do you mean? It can only suppress the problem for a while, but it can't eradicate it completely? Then it's useless!"

"Yeah, damn it, the bugs aren't killed and the eggs are still there. Once they recover in a couple of days, they'll still be eating us. Spraying this medicine is a waste of time!"

Several young members, their eyes bloodshot from exhaustion, couldn't help but wipe away tears. The hope that had just been ignited instantly turned into an unfathomable sense of despair.

The air seemed to freeze, and a heavy sense of despair once again enveloped the entire wheat field.

Qian Jin said, "Listen to me, the dawn of victory has appeared."

"It turns out that this insecticide is effective against aphids; it has a strong knockdown effect on them, but it is not lethal."

"Then I'll go back tonight and find a more effective insecticide of the same kind, one that can kill them directly!"

"What if we increase the concentration?" Wang Shoucai suddenly realized, "It's 20:1 now, what if we change it to 10:1 water and medicine?"

Qian Jin shook his head: "Twenty to one is the maximum concentration. What does that mean? It means that at this concentration, permethrin has reached its strongest efficacy. Even if the concentration is higher, the effect will be slightly stronger, but there will be no qualitative change."

"But Captain Wang, you should tell everyone that this one won't work, but its upgraded version, the one with stronger effects, might!"

Wang Shoucai suddenly raised his head, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes: "Boss, is it possible?"

Qian Jin said, "It's possible. Our boss has pledged his official position to you, so why can't it be done?"

"Please wait patiently. When I come back next time, I will definitely be launching a major counterattack against these aphids."

He was about to leave, but then he turned back: "Besides, comrades, haven't we already achieved some results tonight?"

"This pesticide may not be able to kill aphids, but it can reduce their ability to damage our wheat seedlings and reduce their ability to mate and reproduce. Isn't that a good thing?"

He patted several cadres on the shoulder, then hurriedly got into the car to go back and report on the progress of the work.

A group of people chased after his car, from the side road to the main road, until the car accelerated and could no longer catch up.

So they started waving their arms wildly from behind.

The flashlights in their hands swayed, beams of light piercing the night sky like sharp swords.

At this moment, they are peasant warriors fighting against the army of aphids.

When Qian Jin returned to the supply and marketing cooperative, the party had already ended, and the building was pitch black.

The leaders have left...

Wei Bin has also left...

Good guy.

So it turns out that he's the only one truly working tirelessly for the farmers?

Qian Jin was unhappy and immediately called Wei Bin.

Wei Bin answered the phone quickly: "Hello, oh? Qian Jin? Okay, okay, I know the situation. The comrades from the commune called me after you left..."

Qian Jin suddenly understood.

It turns out that the leadership was already aware of the progress.

Wei Bin was in low spirits: "After I received the call from the commune, I called Guangling Pesticide Factory and asked them to expand the scale of production from the laboratory to the factory."

"They told me that a pesticide factory in Jiangcheng had already started trial production of permethrin. I told the provincial leaders about the situation, and they helped us contact the Second Pesticide Factory in Jiangcheng."

"They'll be loading pesticides onto a ship at the Yangtze River dock tonight and sending them to us, but we can't rely on just pesticides."

Qian Jin said, "Yes, leader, I've also noticed that the effect of ordinary permethrin is not satisfactory, but the facts have already proven that the strong interference of pyrethroid compounds with the nervous system of insects is undeniable."

"So I was thinking, what if we switched to a high-efficiency cypermethrin with a higher proportion of active isomers, a more stable molecular structure, and significantly enhanced insecticidal toxicity? Wouldn't that break through this current bottleneck?"

"What I mean is that Jiangcheng No. 2 Pesticide Factory is a timely help. They can send a large batch of ordinary permethrin, and then we can use this batch of permethrin to control the scale of the insect infestation."

"Next, I will use the foreign trade route to purchase high-efficiency cypermethrin emulsion from ICI, and use it to eradicate these pests!"

Wei Bin sighed: "This is a good idea, and it's very feasible."

"But there's a prerequisite—can this highly efficient cypermethrin emulsion really kill these strange aphids?"

Qian Jin said, "I asked a manager at China Resources Company in Hong Kong to mail the samples this evening. Whether they're useful or not, we can just do a test after they arrive, right?"

"I arranged for him to use the special customs channel. If all goes well, the samples will arrive tomorrow, and we'll see the results tomorrow!"

Wei Bin said decisively, "Okay, then let's wait until tomorrow. Also, you have to come to the municipal government with me tomorrow."

"This insect infestation is quite severe; even the city's top officials have underestimated it."

"Now, under the guidance of relevant provincial departments, the municipal government has formed a guidance group. They contacted me to inquire about your situation, and I shared your insights. The guidance group is very interested in you."

"Tomorrow, make sure you're well-prepared. The guidance team might want to take you on!"

(End of this chapter)