The little star from the Gobi Desert, handed over to the state, is hailed as a national treasure.

As soon as I entered the conference room, I saw the two sides arguing heatedly, with several senior leaders even rolling up their sleeves and talking animatedly.

Zhao Youtian, the head of the logistics department, started as a cook and worked his way up to the ministerial level. He worried about the base's food rations every day, and was so worried that he almost shaved his head off. Now that he has finally been given a piece of land, it is like a huge granary falling from the sky.

"What's there to argue about? Although we've had a bumper sweet potato harvest, there are so many mouths to feed at the base. If we don't plant the vines soon, everyone will be starving again in less than half a month."

Li, the director of the chemical engineering group, is a PhD who studied abroad and believes that all work should give way to scientific research.

"No, no, no, Director Zhao, I understand your concerns about food, but this problem can be alleviated in other ways. We finally have this land. If we can plant long-staple cotton and castor beans, and also potatoes to extract industrial starch, we can solve many industrial raw material problems and shorten our research cycle!"

"Engineer Li, are you kidding me? Potatoes are fine, but what are long-staple cotton and castor beans? Can you even eat them?" Wang Xinjun, the deputy director of the logistics department, couldn't take it anymore. "Fifty acres of good land! We can't just think about experiments and ignore our stomachs!"

"Old Wang, long-staple cotton can be chemically processed to produce nitrocellulose, and castor oil is a raw material for aviation lubricants and biodiesel. In the past, we relied on imports for these. If we could achieve self-sufficiency, it would be of great significance!"

"You still need to eat first. Once the harvest is plentiful, we'll allocate some land for you."

"I think you're stuck with a small-farmer mentality; all you can think about is food," Huang Weizhi, the director of the systems research and development lab, couldn't sit still any longer. "What are we doing here? Aren't we here to work on technology and production? Instead of prioritizing research and development when we find resources, how can we be thinking about food first?"

Zhao Youtian slammed his fist on the table: "What are you researching if you're not eating or drinking?"

Huang Weizhi rolled up his sleeves: "If you can't produce results, how will you explain yourself to the people of the whole country?"

"Stop, stop, stop!" Commander Liu quickly stretched out his hands to suppress them. If he didn't intervene, the two sides would jump onto the table and start fighting.

"Sit down, everyone, and have some water! How old are you? Why are you arguing like a kid?"

The two groups then sat down, fuming.

"Old Zhao, are you afraid of being hungry?" Commander Liu walked over and patted Zhao Youtian on the shoulder.

"Engineer Li, rest assured, the base's motto will always be 'dedicated to research and development.' This is an ironclad policy that no one can shake."

The atmosphere between the two sides eased somewhat after the conversation.

"Mr. Qian, do you have any good suggestions?"

Professor Qian finally found a chance to speak. The argument had been too intense for him to out-argue them.

"Comrades, I think you're all right. Solving the food problem and advancing scientific research are not contradictory at all; they can be done simultaneously. For example, we can first allocate thirty acres of land to plant high-yield and short-cycle crops, along with fresh vegetables, to ensure basic living standards. Then we can allocate another twenty acres to Engineer Li. You can plant whatever experimental crops you need, as long as it doesn't affect the grain production plan."

Li's tense expression relaxed. "Okay, I'll contact my old classmate at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences to handle the seeds and technical guidance!"

"Ah, this brings up a problem," Chief Designer Wang said hurriedly. "Commander, it seems we can't just hire water conservancy and geology experts. With this precious land, we also need an agricultural expert to oversee it. Otherwise, if we laymen ruin the land, that would be a real waste."

"Report!" Brigade Commander Bai suddenly raised his hand. "Gentlemen, after all this discussion, haven't we overlooked the most crucial link?"

All eyes turned to him.

"This plot of land was discovered by Comrade Liang Tiantian. If, and I mean if, Tiantian knows what to plant here that will grow quickly and well, shouldn't we also listen to her opinion?"

Upon hearing this, the leaders on both sides were stunned. They were so focused on their own duties and perspectives that they completely overlooked the greatest contributor.

"No, no, Brigade Commander," Liang Zhe said, worried that the arguing would disturb the child, so he had already handed Tian Tian over to the aunt on duty. Now, hearing everyone mention it, he quickly stood up and saluted. "Tian Tian is still a child. She knows nothing about crops and land production. Asking her is useless."

"You think it's useless just because you say so?" Brigade Commander Bai glared at him. "Have you forgotten how the water and fish were discovered? Without our Sweetie, even if you gathered everyone in the base together, you couldn't find such a treasure trove of a place."

"That's right, I support the brigade commander!" Song Dazhuang also stood up. He was very qualified to speak about Tian Tian's abilities. "I also suggest that we ask Tian Tian's opinion first. The conditions in the desert are harsh, and the growth cycle of crops is short. What if the seeds we plant don't yield a good harvest? Wouldn't it be a waste of time?"

Zhao Youtian also wavered, "You're right, Tiantian is much more accurate than agricultural experts."

"What if... what if Tian Tian says that this land can't grow experimental crops?" Engineer Li began to worry.

Professor Qian smiled and said, "Engineer Li, don't worry. Let's let Tian Tian take a look first. We can decide what to plant based on the soil's properties. This is called 'adapting to local conditions,' and we might even get a big surprise."

"If the child really says that experimental crops are not suitable, Lao Li, just pretend that our base doesn't have this land. If you're missing any materials, I'll submit a report to the higher-ups and apply for them. We'll definitely provide your research group with everything you need!" Commander Liu hurriedly reassured him.

Li Gong and Huang Weizhi exchanged a glance, unable to voice any objections. After all, without Tian Tian, ​​there would be no land. Letting the child participate in the decision-making process was perfectly reasonable.

"But Chief, Tian Tian can't even recognize all the characters, and she's never even seen any crops before. How are we going to choose?" Liang Zhe regretted it. He should have found a daycare center for Tian Tian earlier, so that the child could at least learn more about different things.

This question stumped everyone. Indeed, it's really asking a three-year-old girl to distinguish between potatoes and sweet potatoes, or between leeks and wheat seedlings.

"Report." The orderly who had been silently refilling the water supply saw the officers' predicament and whispered, "Sir, I have a solution."

"Oh? Tell me about it."

"My wife used to teach our child to read at home by using pictures on paper. Once the child memorized the pictures, he would look at the words and gradually learn to recognize them."

"Ah, what a great idea!" Old Qian suddenly realized, "The masses are the wisest. Such a simple and practical method, and none of us with our brains bound by formulas could have come up with it."

The problem was easily solved, and Zhao Youtian volunteered: "I'll go now... no, I'll go find someone first thing tomorrow morning to draw all the crops we can think of on cards so that Tian Tian can choose."

"Cao, the propaganda team's cadre, is a skilled painter; let's ask him."

"Old Huang," Engineer Li quickly grabbed Huang Weizhi's hand, "we can't fall behind. Go find Officer Cao and make a list of what we need, then have him draw it out together."

Commander Liu finally burst into laughter, pointed at Liang Zhe who was staring in disbelief, and joked, "Little Liang, do you see? All the people here combined don't have the same authority as your daughter."

Brigade Commander Bai chimed in with a smile, "You're right, Liang Tiantian is our base's lucky star. Commander, you must give her another credit!"

"What's the point of giving her one merit!" Commander Liu waved his hand, his voice filled with heroic spirit. "She helped us choose the land, I'll give her two merits! No, I'll apply for a third-class merit for her father! Let him bask in the glory of this little lucky star!"