The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 310 Supply and Marketing Cooperatives Provide Timely Assistance, Their Kindness to Farmers is Immeasurable
In mid-April, the chill of winter faded, and the spring breeze, carrying the warmth of the sun, swept through the city.

The plane trees along the roadside sprouted tender green buds, and the sunshine was so bright it was almost sweltering.

This year it got hotter than usual, mainly because it was dry and rainless. The sun shone on the earth non-stop, and spring became rather short. It was like spring breezes came overnight and then suddenly disappeared in a day.

This month alone, a lot of major events have happened in the country.

First, the state authorized the Bank of China to issue foreign exchange certificates domestically.

Then, China's first Sino-foreign joint venture, "Capital Air Catering Co., Ltd.", was approved for establishment.

Subsequently, the International Monetary Fund formally decided to restore my country's representation...

The supply and marketing cooperative is busier than ever.

The results of the large-scale, multi-site monitoring and yield assessment organized by the Agricultural Bureau were delivered to leaders at all levels, and the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives, which was responsible for ensuring the supply of high-efficiency cypermethrin, naturally also received these results.

After reading it, Wei Bin was in high spirits. He specially asked the typing room to make multiple copies with a mimeograph machine, and then convened a meeting of key leaders, which could also be considered an internal commendation meeting.

Inside the conference room, the oval conference table was polished to a shine, and enamel teacups with large red lettering emitted wisps of steam, filling the air with the aroma of fine tea.

Above the rostrum hung the bright red national and party emblems, with the national flag on one side and the party flag on the other. One side read "Develop the economy" and the other "Guarantee supply." Below were half-length portraits of leaders such as Mao and Deng.

Wei Bin personally presided over the meeting.

Today, Wei She shows no signs of being over fifty years old. He has been all smiles these past few days, and now that it's time for a meeting, he is even more energetic and speaks loudly.

However, when he relaxed occasionally, you could still see that he was a little tired, after all, he had been working hard day and night.

The officials entered the meeting room at the designated time and first looked at the assessment results from the Agriculture Bureau printed on the table:

"...The high-efficiency cypermethrin emulsifier has exceeded expectations in controlling this large-scale wheat aphid infestation. The aphid mortality rate in the field reached over 98.4%, quickly and effectively preventing the spread of the pest. In the treated areas, except for the core affected plots, wheat seedlings in peripheral areas have generally sprouted new leaves and their growth is trending towards stabilization and recovery..."

"It is estimated that the severe reduction in overall staple grain production has been effectively reversed, and it is expected to reach 50% to 60% of the normal level..."

"This is a major achievement in agricultural disaster relief..."

Seeing this result, the cadres were all overjoyed and began whispering and joking among themselves.

Qian Jin entered the room carrying his notebook, and department heads who were on good terms with him, such as Feng Changfan and Cui Hu, greeted him proactively.

"When did you come back?"

"Weren't you discussing cooperation with representatives from ICI in the UK?"

"Director Qian, you've really done a great job this time. When you throw a celebration banquet later, don't leave out the rest of us old guys..."

Qian Jin waved his hand modestly and bowed to them, saying, "Hey, brothers, don't tease your little brother. It's all just good luck, just good luck..."

"Big brother smokes this, it's strong..."

"Don't worry, Section Chief Feng, my door is always open if you want to drink. I'll have my sister-in-law cook a couple of her signature Northwest dishes. My brother-in-law has some 'Mendao Lv' (a type of strong liquor) that he got from the Northeast. We can have a Northeast-Northwest all-out attack then..."

Just as they were laughing and talking, more people arrived.

Wang Zhenbang, the third-highest-ranking official in the city and the head of the emergency command group for this insect infestation, also came.

That's a lot of face-saving.

It was originally just an internal disaster relief summary and commendation meeting, but the city's top three officials came to show their support, and the cadres quickly stood up and applauded to welcome them.

Wang Zhenbang is now in high spirits, enjoying a happy occasion.

He walked along in a very traditional leadership style, laughing and clapping, then opened his arms and pressed his palms down towards the crowd:
"Thank you for your warm welcome. Today is an internal meeting of your supply and marketing system. As an outsider, I am here to learn from you."

Wei Bin shook hands with him and said with a smile, "Director Wang, you are too kind. We were able to defeat the Black Insect Demon this time—haha, the farmers call aphids the Black Insect Demon, which is a very fitting name, so I started calling them that too."

"In short, we must thank you for leading us in helping the country maintain the scale of the summer harvest and ensuring the food supply for the people."

"If it weren't for your emergency command team, our supply and marketing cooperative would have been humiliated this time. But it's not so bad if we lose face; if we fail to help farmers ensure their pesticide needs are met, leading to reduced or even no harvests, then we've made a huge mistake!"

The other cadres all agreed.

Wang Zhenbang said a few words of modesty, then took his notebook and sat down next to Wei Bin.

During this time, several more reporters came in, took their cameras, and went to the back corner of the conference room.

Qian Jin looked at them with suspicion.

This conference was of a high standard and has great publicity value.

He valued the power of publicity, so he maintained good relationships with various newspapers in the city, and almost all the reporters were acquaintances of him.

The team was led by Zhang Ming, deputy chief reporter of the Haibin Daily. He and Qian Jin were old acquaintances and would visit each other during holidays.

So the two nodded without speaking, but Zhang Ming raised his camera to Qian Jin and winked and grinned, meaning that he would capture him with his camera later.

Everything that should come has come.

The meeting room doors closed, and the meeting officially began.

"Comrades, as you all know, we've been through a lot these past few days, so let's get straight to the point. This unprecedented aphid infestation is a major test for our supply and marketing system!" Wei Bin's voice rose and fell as he cut straight to the point.

His fingers tapped lightly on the table as his gaze swept over the attendees: "What is being tested at critical moments? It is the true nature of us supply and marketing workers to 'serve farmers and safeguard agriculture'!"

"It is our responsibility to provide strong logistical support!"

After getting started, he picked up the report on the table and introduced the performance of each department in this disaster relief operation:
How the warehousing and transportation department urgently allocated transport vehicles to overcome insufficient transport capacity; how the agricultural supplies department worked overnight to organize the warehouse to ensure that pesticides were stored as soon as they arrived; how the finance department simplified procedures and handled special cases to guarantee fund disbursement...

Anyway, since the departments that have made contributions are in front, the departments that haven't made contributions will also get some credit.

Applause frequently rang out in the conference room, creating a lively atmosphere.

The Foreign Investment Office has not mentioned it.

Qian Jin knew that his department had made a name for itself this time and would definitely receive special praise.

really.

At the end, Wei Bin abruptly changed the subject, saying, "However!"

He stood up, pointed at the table with his finger, and said, "Among all these outstanding comrades, there is one person whose contribution is decisive!"

"It can be said that without his desperate struggle, without his keen insight and courage to find a way out of seemingly hopeless situations, the area of ​​wheat fields affected by the disaster in our Haibin City would not have been hundreds of thousands of acres, but millions of acres!"

"The affected area will not only be mainly Anguo County, but will also extend to Yuezhou County, Linshan County, and Heiya County. In the end, it will probably mainly affect Haibin City, and also affect several surrounding prefecture-level cities!"

He wasn't exaggerating.

The agricultural department not only tallied the damage, but also created a projection table based on the spread rate after the initial outbreak of the insect infestation.

In fact, by the time leaders at all levels in Haibin City learned of the disaster, the insect infestation had already evolved and begun to increase exponentially.

However, Qian Jin, Wei Bin, and Wang Zhenbang acted extremely quickly, wasting no time at all.

Qian Jin immediately discovered that permethrin was effective in limiting the spread of insect populations, and Wei Bin immediately used his connections to transfer domestic stockpiles of permethrin from Jiangcheng for disaster isolation.

After Qian Jin discovered that highly effective cypermethrin was remarkably effective at killing insect populations, Wang Zhenbang quickly supported Qian Jin's efforts to import the pesticide into Hong Kong.

The achievements of the three are obvious.

Everyone knows this perfectly well.

So when Wei Bin was about to commend Qian Jin, everyone looked over.

Qian Jin stood out in the conference room.

After all, he was the only one among the main leading cadres who was under thirty years old.

At this moment, Wei Bin's voice suddenly rose: "That's right, this person is Comrade Qian Jin!"

He looked at Qian Jin with admiration that even someone with severe myopia could see clearly: "It was he who discovered an effective drug through experiments when our farmers were almost at their wits' end."

"It was he who, after discovering the lack of effective drugs in China, thought of international channels and found a supplier."

"It was he who withstood the pressure, outwitted and outmaneuvered foreign capitalists, and ultimately, with the wise decision and support of his superiors,"

Wei Bin solemnly bowed slightly to Wang Zhenbang beside him, indicating: "We successfully introduced 'high-efficiency cypermethrin' at an unexpectedly low price, and ultimately won a brilliant battle of annihilation, killing all the pests."

Director Wang applauded enthusiastically and nodded and smiled at Qian Jin: "Comrade Qian Jin deserves the praise of turning the tide and saving the day!"

"Wow—!" This time, the applause was far more enthusiastic and longer-lasting than ever before.

After all, it was the city's top three officials who led the applause.

Applause resounded throughout the conference room.

Qian Jin clapped along, stood up, bowed to those around him, and then sat down again.

Since Director Wang has already spoken, it's not enough to just say a few words and call it a day.

Wei Bin, as the host, was just throwing out a brick to start the discussion; he was in charge of the beginning, but to truly elevate the spirit of disaster relief, it was up to Director Wang.

After the applause subsided, Wang Zhenbang spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but carrying great weight:
"President Wei Bin spoke very well."

"The successful response to this insect infestation is the result of the concerted efforts of the entire city, especially the supply and marketing system, grassroots cadres, and farmers. It demonstrates a high level of organization and combat effectiveness, and the municipal party committee and government highly praise everyone's contributions..."

What followed was just repetitive talk.

Director Wang's task was to say these words to elevate everyone's fighting spirit.

Finally, he paused, looked around at the crowd, and made a resounding announcement:
"The city has decided to hold a citywide commendation conference for advanced collectives and individuals in the fight against wheat aphids soon!"

"As instructed by the provincial leaders, we must publicize and promote your achievements and spirit!"

The atmosphere in the conference room reached a climax.

For the municipal supply and marketing cooperatives, receiving public commendation from the city since the founding of the People's Republic of China was an unparalleled honor for a supply and marketing system that primarily focused on "logistics" and "service".

Just then, a knocking sound broke the lively atmosphere in the room.

Wei Bin's secretary, Xiao Liu, peeked in cautiously and said, "Director Wang, Director Wei, there are several commune cadres from Anguo County outside. They say they absolutely must see you."

“They said you left something with them, and they’re determined to bring it back to you this time.”

Wei Bin was slightly taken aback, then as if he remembered something, he immediately said, "Please come in quickly!"

Qian Jin blinked.

What do you mean?
Rural grassroots cadres have also come?
What perfect timing!

The conference room door opened, and several people rushed in.

Qian Jin knew all these people. The leader was Zhang Weimin, the secretary of Tugou Commune, followed by Li Maochun, the secretary of Damiaogou Commune, and several other cadres from other production brigades.

For example, the bald old man walking at the very front was Wang Shoucai, the head of the Wang family production brigade.

As soon as they entered, they were clearly taken aback by the room full of leaders and the enthusiastic atmosphere of the meeting. The group of people immediately became somewhat uneasy and quickly nodded and bowed to the leaders at the table.

Zhang Weimin bowed and scraped to Wei Bin: "President Wei, I'm so sorry to have disturbed your meeting."

"However, you left something important on my land, so I have to bring it back to you as soon as possible."

He gave Wang Shoucai a wink, and Wang Shoucai stepped forward, carefully placing the bundle he was holding tightly on the conference table, and with trembling hands untying the knot on it.

All eyes were focused on the small homespun cloth bundle.

The bundle was opened, and inside was an octagonal hat.

Almost everyone in the conference room could recognize that this was the hat Wei Bin usually wore.

Some of the cadres who had accompanied Wei Bin on his inspection tours to the countryside recounted in hushed tones the scene of Wei Bin throwing his hat down in the fields and making promises.

Some people also told Director Wang about it, and Director Wang listened with a solemn expression and nodded repeatedly.

Zhang Weimin took the hat and handed it to Wei Bin: "President Wei, you left your hat on our land and promised that you wouldn't wear it again until the insect infestation was resolved."

"The supply and marketing cooperative is amazing. Later they sent them permethrin and cypermethrin..."

"It's a high-efficiency cypermethrin emulsifier," Li Maochun corrected in a low voice.

“Yes, yes, yes,” Zhang Weimin laughed embarrassedly, “I’m not very educated. I’m just a roughneck who got to the commune by doing farm work. I can’t even remember the names of pesticides that are long. I’m making a fool of myself in front of the leaders.”

Wei Bin shook hands with him and went to get his hat.

Zhang Ming and the others snapped photos in a flurry.

Qian Jin watched from below with amusement.

It's all a routine, a routine.

Hype, more hype.

Li Maochun took out another folded piece of cotton cloth from the bundle. Its texture was similar to the bundle, so no one had noticed its presence earlier.

When the cotton cloth was unfolded, it turned out to be a folded brocade banner.

On the red velvet cloth, two rows of large characters were written neatly in golden yellow paint:

"The supply and marketing cooperatives provided timely assistance to farmers, and their kindness to them is immeasurable."

Signed: Jointly presented by Tugou Commune and Damiaogou Commune of Anguo County, April 1980
"President Wei, leaders of the supply and marketing cooperatives!" Li Maochun excitedly raised the banner and rushed to the crowd, saying, "We country folk don't know how to say nice things."

"When an insect plague comes, it's truly a case of crying out to heaven and earth in vain!"

"The farmers' hearts are breaking as they watch the wheat stalks being eaten away day by day!"

"Then came the supply and marketing cooperatives and the government, who delivered life-saving pesticides at the most critical moment! You saved the livelihoods of millions of farmers in several communes!"

Some cadres immediately clapped, and the applause became even more enthusiastic, wave after wave.

Qian Jin listened with a smile.

Is this what you call not knowing how to speak eloquently? You probably prepared a draft beforehand, didn't you? Wei Bin was overjoyed and almost burst out laughing.

He managed to suppress his joy, but the smile on his lips and brows was impossible to hide:
"Hey, Captain Wang, Secretary Zhang, comrades, please don't say that."

Wei Bin released Zhang Weimin's hand and went up to shake hands with the other cadres one by one: "It's all what we should do. We are supply and marketing workers, and we are here to serve our fellow farmers. I really can't accept your praise."

He tried his best to be modest, but the blush on his face only intensified.

"Oh, right!" Wei Bin suddenly remembered the key person and quickly introduced Wang Zhenbang.

After introducing Wang Zhenbang, Qian Jin was then brought in front of Wang Shoucai and the others.

Several cadres had a strong impression of Qian Jin.

And I had a very good impression of it.

This young cadre was one of the first leaders to accompany Wei Bin to the fields to inspect the disaster situation, and also the first leader to make a commitment to them.

They still remember Qian Jin's confident demeanor at the time, and also his harsh words, "If you can't solve the insect plague, you can go to the city and spit in my face."

Later, Qian Jin personally delivered permethrin, and it was discovered that permethrin could control the scale of the insect infestation but could not effectively kill the pests.

"Oh my, it's you! It's this leader!" Wang Shoucai, who had been feeling awkward, suddenly slapped his thigh and excitedly stepped forward.

He became acquainted with Qian Jin here.

Every time Qian Jin went to the countryside, he would ask him about the damage caused to the wheat seedlings by insects.

He gripped Qian Jin's hands tightly and shook them vigorously, saying, "I remember now, it's you!"

“I remember it all. You swore to me in the field that you could kill the bugs with the poison! You said if you couldn’t, I could spit in your face at the entrance of the city supply and marketing cooperative, hahaha!”

At this point, he exclaimed, "Our commune members were so worried back then, but we also felt that you were a very capable person, and you really did it."

"Then I must thank you on behalf of all the men, young and old, in my brigade. Thank you so much!"

Qian Jin shook hands with him firmly.

Without realizing it, he had developed a leader's demeanor.

The internal commendation meeting reached its climax amidst the return of hats, the presentation of banners, and the gratitude and praise from the farmer cadres.

The commendation ceremony concluded as the reporters left with their cameras.

It was a perfect internal celebration.

The attendees gradually left.

Director Wang Zhenbang was also escorted away first.

Qian Jin walked at the back, shoulder to shoulder with Wei Bin.

Wei Bin, beaming with joy, was still savoring the scene from earlier when he turned his head and saw that Qian Jin's face not only lacked joy but also looked rather anxious.

Anxiety and restlessness.

Wei Bin sensed something was wrong and asked suspiciously, "What's wrong? You've done a great service, and the farmers are so grateful to you, but you seem a bit down. Is something on your mind?"

Qian Jin raised his head, glanced at the crowd not far away, and then spoke:
“I’m not unhappy because I can help, and the farmers won’t go hungry. I’m happier than anyone else.”

"It's just that when I was in Hong Kong before, in order to find out about pesticides, I had contact with a middleman who dealt in international intelligence and paid him to buy some information."

Qian Jin glanced at Wei Bin: "They're spending foreign exchange, but they're receiving US dollars."

Wei Bin nodded, signaling him to continue, as this was quite normal in foreign affairs work.

Qian Jin said, "This person is quite patriotic. In the end, he gave me a 'gift of information,' or rather, a piece of information that he felt was not very useful."

He said that according to their analysis reports and professional models leaked from some formal official and commercial meteorological forecasting agencies in Europe, America, Japan and the Soviet Union, the weather trend this year is very strange.

"The weather?" Wei Bin frowned. "Their intelligence brokers actually care about this?"

“Yes,” Qian Jin’s tone turned serious, “this intelligence broker boasts that he has inside channels.”

He said that top meteorological agencies in multiple countries, after repeated simulations, all pointed to the same conclusion: this year's East Asian monsoon activity will show significant anomalies.

Then he opened his briefcase, took out a piece of paper, and handed it to Wei Bin: "Look, he said that the specific predictions of these meteorological agencies are that our country will encounter disasters caused by extreme weather this year."

"In the summer, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and areas south of them are highly likely to experience an unusually strong Meiyu front, triggering widespread and prolonged heavy rainfall and flooding. Meanwhile, North my country, including our region, and parts of Northeast China, may face severe spring drought followed by summer drought due to the continuous influence of a warm high-pressure system at higher altitudes!"

Wei Bin's expression changed instantly.

He suddenly slapped his forehead and said, "Now that you mention it, I just remembered something. When you went to Hong Kong on a business trip, I consulted with a few agricultural professors at the University of Hong Kong about ways to combat insect infestations."

“A professor once told me that insect plagues are often followed by droughts, which was called ‘a great drought is always followed by an insect plague’ in ancient times.”

Qian Jin said, "But the insect plague came first..."

“No, it hasn’t snowed much here since last winter. It’s already mid-April, almost Grain Rain, but has it rained at all?” Wei Bin took the question he raised very seriously.

"Now that you mention it, I feel like the drought has been going on for a while, but it didn't seem so severe until summer or autumn!"

As he spoke, he also became somewhat anxious.

At this time, the cadres all had experience dealing with rural areas, and Wei Bin knew all too well the weight of the words "drought" and "flood".

This thing is far more deadly than a single insect infestation.

Insect infestations damage crops.

Drought not only damages crops, but also livestock and farmers!

"But is this accurate? If he's just an information broker..." Wei Bin's voice lowered unconsciously, sounding somewhat conflicted.

"I don't know if it's true or not." Qian Jin shook his head anxiously, spreading his hands, looking both helpless and anxious.

He said that the assessments of seven or eight independent institutions were all converging on this conclusion, but he did not have the core report.

"He said at the time that such medium- to long-term forecasts, especially those involving the whole of China, are too variable, and that European and American models often have biases in their forecasts for East Asia, so this news is worthless in their circle."

"But when I heard that, I felt really uneasy!"

Wei Bin gave a wry smile: "You're a real talent, you've got me all flustered."

Qian Jin looked at him intently and said, "Wei She, I have no choice. Think about it, what if? Right? It's better to be safe than sorry!"

"If that's really the case, with severe flooding in the south and drought in the north, and the country having just begun its reform and opening up, the resulting losses would be..."

"I can't even imagine!" Wei Bin added automatically, sighing repeatedly.

Qian Jin nodded: "That's right. Compared to this, what is the wheat aphid infestation we just eradicated?"

Wei Bin fell silent.

The smug look on his face vanished completely, replaced by an unprecedented solemnity.

He walked a few steps down the now empty corridor with his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed.

Ultimately, he felt responsible for the news and said, "Let's go. This is a big deal. We can't let it stay at the level of our supply and marketing cooperative. We need to go find Director Wang right away."

“Director Wang definitely hasn’t left. Old Yi and the others are definitely down there trying to curry favor with him. Hurry up, you quick-footed guy, go stop him and invite him to my office. He’s a city leader, and we have to let him know about this.”

Qian Jin took off charging.

"Wait, stop." Wei Bin waved from behind again. "Also, I think it would be best to hear the voices from the grassroots. Those comrades in the countryside definitely can't leave either. Ask Xiao Liu where he sent them, and quickly get them to my office together."

Qian Jin turned and ran away again.

Wang Zhenbang has indeed not been able to return to his unit yet, and several deputy director-level cadres, including Yi Xuebing, are currently praising him and trying to build a relationship with him.

Qian Jin apologized to the leaders, and then whispered a few words in Wang Zhenbang's ear.

Wang Zhenbang's relaxed expression quickly turned serious: "Come on, take me upstairs."

Upon entering the office, Wei Bin made tea for Wang Zhenbang.

Wang Zhenbang was a very amiable veteran cadre in private. He waved his hand and said:
"Why are you still drinking? I drank so much water during the meeting. I wanted to go to the toilet, but you cadres blocked my way."

"Come on, Xiao Qian, have a seat. Let's get down to business. What's going on?"

Wei Bin briefly recounted the abnormal weather forecast information that Qian Jin had obtained from Hong Kong, and at the same time, he also handed over the summary of the information that Qian Jin had given him to Wang Zhenbang.

After listening, Wang Zhenbang remained silent for a long time, squinting as he carefully read the summary of the information.

Finally, he put down the paper and began to slowly tap his fingers on the large desk:
"Weather forecasting, medium- to long-term, multiple international organizations..."

He muttered each word in a low voice, finally raising his head: "This news itself cannot be verified, and its source is also unconventional."

"But the predictive logic these news peddlers mentioned—floods in the south and droughts in the north—actually fits together with some other information we are gathering."

Qian Jin asked, "Domestic meteorological departments?"

“We’ve made some discoveries, but they’re not necessarily accurate. As you know, meteorological issues are quite complex. Unlike the US and the Soviet Union, we don’t have weather satellites. They can observe from the sky, but we can only calculate from the ground,” Wang Zhenbang said somewhat discouraged.

Qian Jin tentatively said, "Director Wang, how about this, do you think you can give me some foreign exchange? It doesn't have to be much, just enough for me to bribe a few meteorological researchers from the US and the Soviet Union, especially the US Empire."

"I'll have them produce the data, which we'll then hand over to our country's meteorological bureau professionals for analysis..."

Wang Zhenbang clicked his tongue, then slammed his hand on the table: "This money should be spent, otherwise if there's a sudden flood in the south and a drought in the north, it won't matter if we officials are in trouble, but the people will suffer greatly!"

"Then you should try to find someone first. Can you find someone? Don't worry about the US dollars, I'll contact the bank to handle it for you!"

Qian Jin said, "Of course we can. Do you remember Song Jixiang, the gangster boss we met in Zurich last time? We can find people through them."

Wang Zhenbang nodded, but then lowered his voice and said to Qian Jin with concern, "Their power can be used, but don't get yourself involved. You have a bright future ahead of you, you can't follow them—you understand?"

Qian Jin smiled and said, "Please rest assured, Director Wang, I will definitely make the right decision."

Wei Bin said, "I called over those grassroots comrades who came to present the banner earlier. Otherwise, let's hear what the grassroots have to say?"

Director Wang immediately nodded: "Okay, let them come. One-sided listening leads to ignorance, while listening to both sides leads to enlightenment."

Secretary Liu has already made the arrangements.

At Wei Bin's signal, Zhang Weimin, Wang Shoucai, and others were ushered into the somber leader's office with puzzled and somewhat nervous expressions.

Wang Zhenbang didn't mention the weather forecast, but instead asked very kindly, "Comrades Weimin, Maochun, and Shoucai, we were so happy just now that we didn't have time to ask in detail how your wheat seedlings are recovering after the insect infestation?"

"How has the rainfall been since the beginning of spring? The wheat is turning green and jointing now, is the water supply sufficient?"

When the topic turned to farming, the group's tension lessened considerably, but their expressions remained unpleasant.

They looked at each other in bewilderment. Finally, Wang Shoucai spoke up as a representative: "Director Wang, Director Wei, Director Qian, the insects have been eliminated with pesticide, and the wheat seedlings that weren't completely eaten look healthier than before."

"But since the beginning of spring, the rainfall has been pitifully scarce. There was only a symbolic drizzle around the Qingming Festival, which didn't even soak the ground. In previous years, there should have been one or two decent spring rains by this time!"

Zhang Weimin added, "Yes, leader. Both of our communes are located in hilly areas, which are more prone to drought than plains."

"This year, we recently organized our members to check several key ponds and small reservoirs. The water levels are much lower than in the same period of previous years. In many places, people have started carrying water to irrigate their fields and protect their seedlings."

"I've already organized a team to clear the irrigation ditches and embankments in our commune, in preparation for the worst-case scenario where it really doesn't rain. We'll have to drill deep wells or dig reservoirs to combat the drought! Farmers depend on the weather for their livelihood, and with Mother Nature not cooperating, it's really worrying!"

Li Maochun muttered, "This year is probably going to be a drought year. The old folks in my area all say that this year it's like nine dragons controlling the floods..."

"Stop talking about such superstitious things," Zhang Weimin winked at his old friend.

Li Maochun quickly shut his mouth.

Director Wang laughed: "It's alright, it's alright, we're just chatting casually."

"Don't feel pressured. We're just sitting here on your turf, talking nonsense."

This last remark made the local leaders laugh, and the atmosphere eased somewhat.

Qian Jin asked cooperatively, "Nine Dragons Controlling the Waters: If the Dragon King is in charge of rain, wouldn't it cause floods if nine Dragon Kings worked together to control the waters?"

Hearing someone echo his superstitious tale, Li Maochun perked up: "It's different, Director Qian! Have you heard the story of one monk carrying water, two monks sharing water, and three monks having no water to drink?"

Qian Jin suddenly realized: "The nine Dragon Kings worked together to control the floods, but everyone shirked their responsibilities and refused to do any work?"

Li Maochun nodded: "Yes, that's about the same principle. We farmers say that the best is for four dragons to govern the waters, with one dragon king in charge of each of the four directions."

"Going any higher won't work. The more dragons there are, the drier it gets. When the Nine Dragons were in charge of the waters, it was an absolute drought!"

Wang Shoucai nodded repeatedly, adding a very honest remark: "We farmers aren't superstitious, it's just that the water hasn't been good this year."

“I used water to mix the pesticide when I was spraying insects a few days ago. I’m afraid you leaders didn’t notice. I’ve been carrying water from home to the fields because there’s not much water in the river and the well water is also scarce.”

Another cadre said with a worried look, "Yes, we've wiped out the Black Insect Demons, and I feel a little relieved now. But thinking about it carefully, something's not right this year—it's too dry!"

"If it still doesn't rain in another month or two, we'll be in big trouble!"

The two leaders exchanged a glance, their hearts sinking.

These direct feelings and simple concerns from the fields and villages resonated with the weather warning that Qian Jin brought back from across the ocean, creating a chilling connection!

Wang Zhenbang and Wei Bin exchanged glances, both seeing the heaviness in each other's eyes.

The drought at the grassroots level is not a guess; it has already begun to show signs!

This undoubtedly greatly increases the likelihood of that "international prediction"!
Wang Zhenbang stood up and walked to the window.

A warm breeze blew in, and he was in a good mood because of the great victory in fighting the insect plague. Logically, he should have recited a line: "The warm breeze makes the tourists drunk."

But looking at the excessively clear sky outside the window, he really had no desire to compose poetry.

It's only April now.

Why is it so sunny and warm today?

(End of this chapter)