Official title: Refused to stay at the university, started his career in a rural town.

Professor Li Shusheng's bag arrived three days later.

The paper bag samples were neatly stacked, accompanied by a mimeographed "Apple Bagging Technology Manual," the cover still stained with ink. The letter was only one page long, the handwriting illegible:

"Three hundred paper bags and one manual."

The timing of bagging is crucial; bagging too early damages the fruit, while bagging too late allows insects to infest it. You must find the right balance.

Yang Fan folded the letter and put it in the drawer.

I took the paper bag and went to Yangjiagou.

Wang Dashan squatted down at the edge of the field.

Three apple trees, the apples are the size of a thumb, and spots have already begun to appear on their green skin.

"Uncle Wang, the goods have arrived."

Wang Dashan took the paper bag and examined it from all angles.

"That's it? Made of paper?"

"right."

"Will it work once you put it on?"

"It works."

Wang Dashan brought the paper bag to his nose and smelled it, then held it up to the sun to examine it.

Does it let light through?

"Slightly sheer, does not affect coloring."

"OK."

Wang Dashan stood up and patted the dirt off his pants.

"How do I apply it?"

Yang Fan opened the manual and followed the diagram: "Place the bag with the opening facing down and tie it tightly to prevent rainwater from getting in."

The fruit stem is wedged in the middle of the bag opening, but don't tighten it too much.

Be gentle when putting it on; the skin of young fruit is delicate.

Wang Dashan has rough hands; the paper bag looked like a leaf in his hands, and he had to squeeze it several times before he could hold it.

I had to try three times before I finally managed to pass the test.

"It's even more strenuous than hoeing the ground."

Wang Dashan shook his wrist.

"You'll get used to it and it'll be fast."

The two of them spent an entire afternoon harvesting fruit from three trees.

Wang Dashan's wife brought over a pot of water, squatted down by the ground, and examined it for a while: "This paper bag, will it even work?"

"Ask me, but look at the results!"

Yang Fan patted the fruit tree and said very seriously.

A month later.

Yang Fan was organizing reports from various villages in his office when Wang Dashan sent a message through a messenger: "The apples are ripe, come and take a look."

When he arrived at Yangjiagou, a crowd had gathered at the village entrance.

The news spread, and today was the day to harvest the apples from Wang Dashan's three apple trees that had been covered with paper bags.

The orchard was packed with people—from this village, from neighboring villages, and fruit farmers who had come after hearing the news.

Some people stood on tiptoe to look inside, while others squatted on the earthen embankment smoking, their voices buzzing with discussion.

"Have you heard? Old Wang picked one of those three trees the day before yesterday, and today the fruit looks as red as lanterns."

"A paper bag? Could it really be that effective?"

"You'll see when you take a look."

Wang Dashan stood under the tree, clutching a bulging paper bag in his hand, and the surroundings became quiet.

He tore open the bag, and the apple was revealed.

The surface of the fruit is smooth as a mirror, with a slight reddish tinge, and not a single blemish.

Wang Dashan held the apple up and spun it around in the sun.

Sunlight shines through the fruit peel, revealing a translucent red color.

Someone in the crowd gasped.

"This fruit is absolutely gorgeous, but it doesn't seem as red as the one from the day before yesterday."

"After the fruit is removed from the bag, it will take another day or two for it to color on its own."

Yang Fan hurriedly explained from the side, while Wang Dashan pointed to the bright red fruit that had been picked from the bag the day before yesterday and spoke to the people next to him.

Wang Dashan rinsed the apple in a bucket of water and handed it to an old man next to him: "Try it."

The old man took a bite, and with a crunch, juice dripped down the corner of his mouth.

He chewed twice, then his eyes widened.

"Sweet, fucking sweet!"

The apple was passed around in the crowd, and each fruit farmer took a bite. At that moment, the only sound was the crunching of the apples.

A fruit farmer from another village squeezed to the front: "Old Wang, where did you get those paper bags?"

"Given by Township Head Yang."

"Mayor Yang? Which Mayor Yang?"

Wang Dashan pointed to Yang Fan, who was standing at the edge of the crowd.

All eyes turned to them.

Yang Fan was still holding half an apple in his hand. The flesh was pale yellow, and fine beads of juice seeped out when he bit into it.

"Although the yield from the three trees did not increase, the quality and the number of bad fruits should be much better than in previous years!"

As you can see from the appearance, and as you can taste the sweetness, so too do we have the opportunity to appreciate its quality.

Can this technology be promoted throughout the entire township?

No one responded.

An elderly fruit farmer squatted on the ground, tapping his pipe on the sole of his shoe: "Mayor Yang, are these paper bags expensive?"

"It's not expensive, just a few cents for a bag."

Even a few cents is money.

"A bag that costs only a few cents can yield a few more cents' worth of fruit when sold; it's a worthwhile deal."

The old fruit farmer remained silent for a moment, then stood up: "I'll trust the government one last time!"

Several people nearby nodded in agreement.

"We've all seen Old Wang's three trees; the fruit is indeed excellent."

"Mayor Yang, tell us what to do, and we'll follow your lead."

Yang Fan tossed the apple core into the grass and clapped his hands.

"OK."

That afternoon, Yang Fan went to find Ma Liangchen.

The office door was open, and Ma Liangchen was drinking tea in an enamel mug with tea leaves floating on the surface. An copy of the Anyang Daily was spread out on the table.

Yang Fan placed the "Apple Bagging Technology Manual" on the table, along with a freshly picked apple.

"Secretary Ma, the fruit from the three pilot trees in Yangjiagou has been picked."

Ma Liangchen raised his eyelids.

"The quality and the rate of spoiled fruit are much better than in previous years. More than twenty fruit farmers saw and tasted them on site."

Yang Fan lowered his voice, "They're willing to follow along."

Old Ma picked up the enamel mug, blew away the tea leaves, but didn't drink it.

"Twenty-odd?"

"There are more than twenty people here today, and as word gets out, there will be more."

Ma Liangchen stared intently at the apple in front of him, frowning as he asked.

"How many paper bags are needed for this program to be implemented throughout the entire township?"

"Based on the existing orchard area, the first batch will require 100,000 birds, with additional birds to be added later depending on the planting area."

"Where's the money?"

Yang Fan took out a piece of paper from his pocket, unfolded it, and it was covered with a dense list of numbers.

"One hundred thousand paper bags, at wholesale price, cost less than three thousand yuan in total, and there's still over three thousand yuan left in the township's agricultural technology extension fund account..."

Ma Liangchen took the paper and scanned it.

"You're the one who came up with this account?"

"I calculated it together with Lao Zhou from the agricultural technology station."

Ma Liangchen placed the paper on the table and remained silent for a while.

"Go find Old Zhou at the agricultural technology station and ask him to take the lead."

The bags are purchased centrally by the township and distributed to farmers at cost price. You'll work with the technical instructor to help them catch them.

He looked at Yang Fan and said.

"OK."

Ma Liangchen looked at the bright red apple, picked it up, wiped it on his sleeve, took a bite, and slowly savored it.

A look of surprise appeared on his face, and then he took another bite.

After nodding silently, he immediately picked up a pen and signed the promotion plan.

"This is the last bit of funding we have for promotion, and you know how difficult it is to get it these days!"

Holding the signed proposal, Old Ma spoke very seriously.

"I will keep a close eye on every detail."

Yang Fan nodded and replied, word by word.

He turned and walked out. As he reached the door, Ma Liangchen's voice came from behind him.

"Have Zhou Dequan come to my office first thing tomorrow morning."

"it is good."

Yang Fan went out the door.

The apples from Wang Dashan's three trees sold for three times the price of previous years that afternoon.

The news spread throughout the village, and people began to gather sporadically towards the township government.