He was a disabled military officer who doted on his research work in the Northwest.

He paced back and forth along the edge of the vegetable garden five or six times, a habit he had when he was thinking; the faster he walked, the more excited he was.

"The feasibility is extremely high. Salinity matching, pH levels within the buffer zone, and water temperature issues will be resolved by spring. If we use mulch to cover the water and keep it warm, we can introduce seedlings in March—"

He suddenly stopped, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down.

Then he turned to Shen Tang, his expression becoming unusually serious:

"Shen Tang. If this direction is successful—it won't just be a shrimp farming issue. Hundreds of millions of acres of saline-alkali land across the country will be revitalized…they will no longer be wasteland, but treasure troves!"

He took two more steps, then suddenly stopped.

"No, I can't leave."

Shen Tang: "Hmm?"

"What I was originally thinking was—" Lu Yanzhi rubbed his hands, a little embarrassed, "to wait for Professor Zhou's reply. If he thinks the data is fine, maybe...maybe he'll find a way to transfer me back. I was even thinking of taking you with me to Beijing then—"

He glanced at Shen Tang.

"But this is even more shocking than my experiment." His tone was full of the urgency of discovering a treasure but fearing it might slip away. "What will happen to this project if I leave? No, no, I have to tell the professor. Let's finish this project together before I go back to Beijing!"

He spoke faster and faster, as if his mouth couldn't keep up with his thoughts if he spoke too slowly: "And as long as this can be done, soil plus water plus recycling, it's a complete solution, and when Professor Zhou sees it, he'll..."

He patted Shen Tang's shoulder hard: "Teacher Zhou will definitely be chasing after you to take you on as his last disciple."

The young man's slap, delivered without restraint, made Shen Tang wince in pain, but looking into his bright eyes, she couldn't help but laugh and cry.

The advisor is going to take her as his last disciple? Wouldn't that mess up the seniority system?

"That doesn't matter, as long as it can be made," she said.

As if remembering something, Lu Yanzhi's expression changed from excitement to difficulty. "But if we want to make this happen, there are still a few practical problems that we need to solve."

"First," Lu Yanzhi held up one finger, "the shrimp pond. The saline-alkali land is indeed wasteland, but nominally it's under the military region's jurisdiction. As a researcher dispatched to a branch station, I can't even get the institute's stamp. Where am I supposed to get a land use permit?"

"Second." The second finger, "Shrimp larvae. Shrimp larvae have to be transported from coastal areas. Live transport, with constant temperature and humidity control, and the journey cannot exceed forty-eight hours. From Tianjin to the Northwest, ordinary mail simply cannot do it. We don't have dedicated vehicles."

"Third." The third finger, "testing equipment and reagents. Preparing water requires precise mineral ratios—calcium-magnesium ratio, iodine content, trace element proportions. The old microscope at the agricultural research station is fine for measuring pH, but precise preparation?"

He spread his hands with a wry smile.

"Shen Tang, the direction is right. I wholeheartedly agree. But the two of us—one a student, the other a relegated researcher—have no money, no power, and no equipment. We can only have ideas, but we can't put them into practice..."

He paused, then his eyes lit up:

"I'm sending a telegram to the teacher!"

He suddenly stood up and paced back and forth along the edge of the vegetable patch.

"Professor Zhou works at the Beijing Academy of Agricultural Sciences. The institute has dedicated research funding and the authority to allocate equipment. They also have experience in transporting live shrimp larvae; research groups along the coast have done this before. As long as the professor approves, funding, reagents, and shrimp larvae—all can be obtained from the institute."

He became more and more excited as he spoke:

"I'll go to the post office today to send a telegram. I'll clearly write out the plan: salinity data, water quality conditions, and estimated yield. My professor will definitely support it. This direction is excellent; he has no reason not to approve it!"

Seeing his excitement, Shen Tang was happy for him too. "Okay," she said, "You send the telegram. But the land issue can't wait that long."

"Yes." Lu Yanzhi frowned. "Land acquisition is the first step. Without a place to build shrimp ponds, everything else is just empty talk. Besides, this wasteland is under the jurisdiction of the military region—"

"I'll figure out a way to get the land."

A voice came from under the eaves.

Not too fast, not too slow.

The two of them turned their heads at the same time.

Mu Qinghan walked out leaning on his cane, and it was unclear how long he had been listening.

"That wasteland to the west of the military region's outskirts," Mu Qinghan's voice was low but clear, "is perpetually flooded, covered in white salt deposits, has no military use, and doesn't involve any farmland quotas."

He looked at Shen Tang.

"I'll apply for usage rights under the guise of an 'ecological experiment.' I'll submit a report."

Lu Yanzhi opened his mouth, then rubbed his hands nervously: "Commander Mu, isn't this... too much trouble for you? This is our matter; asking you to ask Commander Su for a favor—"

"This isn't your business, it's Shen Tang's business," Mu Qinghan interrupted him. "And it's not about doing him a favor."

Lu Yanzhi was taken aback.

Mu Qinghan continued, "I just heard about it. If this is done, the officers and soldiers of the military region will be able to eat high-protein shrimp. This is a good thing for the military region."

He put down his cane, leaning against the doorframe. "Commander Su is a man of combat experience. He doesn't fall for favors. If the project itself has no value, even if I begged him, he wouldn't approve it."

He glanced at Lu Yanzhi.

"But if the project itself is excellent—he'll naturally be interested. I'm just a bridge. Whether it works or not isn't up to me."

He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over Lu Yanzhi before landing on Shen Tang's face.

"Look at yourselves. Look at the value of the experiment itself."

The courtyard was silent for a second.

Lu Yanzhi looked at Mu Qinghan, the man with a cane, who spoke slowly and deliberately, his tone indifferent: "The resources of the military region are not obtained through personal connections, but through strength."

If you have the ability, it's yours.

If you lack ability, no one's face will matter.

This is the logic of soldiers.

It shows no mercy, but it's also the fairest.

Lu Yanzhi took a deep breath, then turned to Shen Tang: "Alright, let's split up. Commander Mu will help with the land acquisition. I'll go find Teacher Zhou about the funding and equipment; I'll send the telegram today. Once the institute's approval comes through, the reagents and shrimp larvae will be ready."

Shen Tang nodded.

"Okay. Go and send the telegram. I'll write up the plan tonight."

"Alright!" Lu Yanzhi grabbed his canvas bag and headed out, but after a few steps he turned back, bowed to Mu Qinghan, and said, "Commander Mu, thank you!"

Then they ran away in a flash.

The courtyard fell silent.

Mu Qinghan watched Lu Yanzhi's figure disappear beyond the gap in the low wall, and the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

That kid runs fast.

"Brother Qinghan."

Shen Tang walked to the corridor and squatted down next to his wheelchair.

"Um?"

"What you just said—" she looked at him, "about Commander Su, shouldn't we report to him in person?"

"Okay." Mu Qinghan nodded. "I'll submit the report first. If Commander Su is interested, he'll arrange a meeting. You can then discuss your proposal."

He glanced at her.

"The key point is to clarify one thing: if this system is established, how will the shrimp meat be supplied to the military region? How many people are in the military region, what is their weekly protein intake requirement, and what percentage will the production capacity cover? Will it be sold at cost price or subsidized price?"

He looked into Shen Tang's eyes.

"Commander Su wasn't a scientist. He didn't care about bacterial density or pH levels. What he cared about was whether this would be useful to his soldiers."