Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

"But what about the technology? Where does the technology come from?"

"Growing ginseng is not like growing crops, where you can just sow seeds and harvest. You have to consider how to fertilize, how to provide shade and regulate the temperature, and how to deal with pests and diseases."

As Zhao Youzhi listened to Zhang Aimin's words, he picked up his teacup and used it to shield his eyes.

I knew Zhang Aimin was up to something.

This is more comprehensive than the information I gathered from the agricultural research institute. It's clear that our Captain Zhang knows this path is feasible, so why is he opposing it?

Zhou Rui couldn't see Zhao Youzhi's inner thoughts, but he felt that Zhang Aimin's words were too biased, and he was somewhat unconvinced, so he cleared his throat.

"Captain, we can learn the techniques. No one is born knowing how to grow anything. Even growing corn is something that has been passed down from generation to generation."

"We can hire technicians from the county agricultural research institute, and we can even bring in experts from the provincial agricultural research institute. There's no reason why we can't learn from them!"

"I only believe in one principle: growing ginseng can make real money, increase the village's income, and at the end of the year, every household can have a few more bills in their pockets."

"How much money can you make?" Liu Jianguo moved his stool closer to Zhou Rui and whispered in his ear.

Zhou Rui looked up and thought for a moment: "I glanced at it last time, it seemed to be 1.2 yuan per jin."

Zhao Youzhi put down his teacup and glanced around the room. A murmur of noise immediately rose from below.

Everyone present was captivated by Zhou Rui's words. Without any further hesitation, everyone's attention was firmly fixed on the three words: "it can make money."

Zhao Youzhi was somewhat pleased. He liked this change. As long as everyone was interested, there would be fewer obstacles to pushing this matter forward.

He slammed his teacup down on the table with a crisp sound, feeling he should talk about something everyone would enjoy hearing.

"My colleagues at the agricultural research institute told me that garden ginseng can be grown on raised beds and sheds, and the yield per acre can reach thousands of kilograms."

"Based on this year's purchase price from the medicinal herb company, each mu (unit of land area) can generate an income of 2,400 yuan."

"If you can cultivate ten acres of land every year, that's 24,000 yuan."

"Let's do the math. How much did our production brigade sell last year for the grain we bought under the state purchase policy and the fish we sold in the pond? How much more income could that have increased for each household?"

Upon hearing this, the crowd below erupted in a frenzy. Everyone's eyes widened, their surprise mixed with barely suppressed excitement.

Last year, everyone in the village knew their financial situation. After paying the grain tax, the remaining grain, plus the income from the fishponds in autumn and winter, only amounted to a little over 10,000 yuan.

In the middle, 3,200 yuan was spent to buy oxen for plowing, and in the end, only 7,000 yuan was left for dividends.

In the end, each work point only earned two cents. Many strong laborers worked a whole year, but the money they received was barely enough to buy new cloth and clothes for their children.

If we could really cultivate ginseng on ten acres of land, our income would increase significantly on top of what we already had. The value of our work points would jump at least five times, a scenario that no one dared to even dream of.

Everyone is now eager to grow ginseng; they're all very excited.

One person said they'd plant 20 mu of land, another said 50 mu. If it weren't for the national regulation that land could only be used for growing grain, everyone would want to pull up all the seedlings in the fields and plant ginseng instead.

Zhang Aimin's face was a little ugly. He originally wanted to suppress the matter and let whoever wanted to deal with it deal with it after he was transferred.

But Zhao Youzhi and Zhou Rui, working in unison, had stirred up everyone's spirits, making it difficult for anyone to voice their objections.

Zhang Aimin picked up his beloved fountain pen and tapped it lightly twice on the table. Before the commotion could fully spread, he suddenly spoke in a low voice: "Don't rush to pat your chests."

The noise in the room was abruptly cut off by his words, and a dozen pairs of eyes were fixed on his face.

"Two thousand fourteen per mu, twenty thousand fourteen thousand per ten mu, that's a very good calculation."

"But don't forget, ginseng isn't like corn; it takes four or five years, or even five or six years, to be harvested."

Zhang Aimin's gaze swept over the burning faces, his voice as deep as well water: "In the past few years, we've had to send people to guard the shed every day."

"Prevent torrential rain from washing away the ridges, prevent high temperatures from burning the seedlings, and prevent insects in the ground from eating away at the ginseng roots until only an empty shell remains."

"If you make one wrong move, these ten acres of ginseng will rot so badly that you won't even be able to recover the cost of the seeds."

The people who were just clamoring to plant 20 or 50 mu of land suddenly fell silent.

The warmth that had just begun to rise from the crowd was instantly doused with cold water.

Some scratched their heads, others whispered among themselves, and Liu Jianguo, who had been the loudest earlier, straightened his neck and said, "Then...then let's go to the agricultural research institute to learn. Didn't Zhou Rui say he could invite a technician?"

"Hiring technicians is free? Buying ginseng seedlings is free? The wood and wire for building the shade structure are free?"

Zhang Aimin laid out the costs openly, one question after another: "How much would the initial investment for ten mu of land be?"

"After our brigade distributed profits last year, the money left in the public account wasn't even enough to buy materials. What are we going to use to cover the shortfall?"

Zhao Youzhi remained silent, his fingertips slowly tracing the rim of the teacup.

After Zhang Aimin finished speaking, he leaned forward slightly and said, "Don't worry about the money. We can set aside some when this year's income comes in."

"I didn't say we had to plant this year. We can go to the mountains to select land this year, dig out ten acres in advance and plow them deeply, and then plant next spring."

"We won't plant much in the first year, just five acres. In the second year, we'll dig it up and see if it grows. If it does, we'll add more."

"This way, the risk is low, and it won't delay the village's grain planting. What do you all think, is this feasible?"

With things said to this point, no one in the room dared to object anymore. A vote was then held, and the resolution passed almost unanimously.

However, Zhang Aimin's expression was not very good. Without saying goodbye, he left on his own.

Zhou Rui tried to slip away but couldn't escape; Zhao Youzhi pulled him to the very back.

"Ruiwa, did you see that clearly? What exactly does Zhang Aimin mean? Why is he opposing our ginseng cultivation? You know, this is a great thing for the village."

Zhao Youzhi walked with Zhou Rui through the village alley with his hands behind his back. He didn't look at Zhou Rui, but his voice was not loud, yet unusually clear.

This was a principle he had been pondering for days without understanding. He had discussed it with accountant Zhou Shumin, but ultimately had to ask Zhou Rui, this half-grown kid, for help.

Zhou Rui couldn't figure it out for a moment; his mind was blank, and he just paced slowly.

Zhao Youzhi didn't rush them, and the two walked slowly, occasionally responding to villagers who came up to greet them.

Some people found it strange that the old man and the young man were talking about something and why they looked so serious.

"Grandpa Zhao, I seem to remember that before Zhang Aimin came after the New Year, Uncle Qi talked to me and I said something."

Zhao Youzhi was old and didn't understand why Zhou Rui was mentioning Zhou Shumin, since it had happened half a year ago.

Zhou Rui stopped and turned to Zhao Youzhi: "Grandpa Zhao, is Zhang Aimin just here to gain experience? He probably won't stay in the village for many years?"