Courtyard House: I Rely on Time-Space Trade to Build a Nation

Back in the meeting room, the atmosphere became much more relaxed.

"Comrade Ping An, you just mentioned 'a few gifts'," Leader Li reminded him. "Besides the airplane, what else is there?"

Zhao Pingan looked out the window: "The second gift has already been delivered to the cafeteria."

The group exchanged bewildered glances. Transported to the cafeteria? What valuable item required special storage in the cafeteria?

The group arrived at the small canteen. Upon entering, they saw a small mountain of burlap sacks piled up in the center of the restaurant, numbering in the dozens.

The burlap sack was open, revealing the yellowish-brown tubers inside.

"This is..." One person stepped forward, picked one up and looked at it, "A potato? A sweet potato?"

"Yes, potatoes," Zhao Pingan said, "but not ordinary potatoes."

He walked up to the sack and picked one up casually. The potato was quite large, weighing more than half a pound each, with smooth skin and shallow eyes.

"This is my high-yield potato variety, cultivated using scientific techniques and fertilization methods," Zhao Ping'an said. "This batch of potatoes came from an experimental field outside Harbin, covering five mu (approximately 0.33 hectares), with a total yield of 16,000 jin (approximately 8,000 kg). The average yield per mu is 3,200 jin (approximately 1,150 kg)."

The cafeteria suddenly fell silent.

It was so quiet you could hear the cicadas chirping outside the window.

"How much?" she asked, her voice a little strained.

"Three thousand two hundred catties," Zhao Ping'an repeated, "and the growth cycle is short, less than four months from planting to harvest."

In Northeast China, two crops can be grown in a year. In the South, three crops can be grown.

With a "thump," an older man sat down in the chair.

He had been to snow-capped mountains and grasslands, experienced the most arduous years, and knew what food meant.

"Three thousand two hundred catties..." he murmured. "Now, even with good weather, an acre of corn only yields about two hundred catties. Wheat is even less, less than one hundred and fifty catties... Your potatoes, one acre of them is equivalent to twenty acres of corn?"

"It cannot completely replace staple foods," Zhao Ping'an said truthfully.

Potatoes are high in starch but low in protein and fat.

It's an excellent choice as a side dish, as disaster relief food, and as animal feed. And—"

He picked up a potato: "This stuff isn't picky about the soil; it can be grown in sandy soil, dry land, and hillsides. If managed properly, the yield per acre can be even higher."

The cafeteria was in an uproar.

The crowd gathered around the sack, picking up potatoes to examine them closely, weighing them, and smelling them. Some had already begun calculating the cost:

"If one-tenth of the country's arable land were used to grow this... even if the yield is 3,000 catties per mu, one-tenth would be 100 million mu, which would be... 300 billion catties?"

"You can't calculate it that way. Potatoes have a high water content, so the conversion to grain would be discounted. But even if you halve the value, it would still be 150 billion catties."

What was the total national grain output last year?

"Less than 300 billion jin."

"So, if we add 300 billion catties of potatoes... double that?"

A murmur of discussion rose and fell. Everyone's face was flushed—not from the heat, but from excitement.

Leader Li picked up a potato, weighed it in his hand, and looked at Zhao Ping'an: "Can this be promoted?"

"Yes," Zhao Ping'an answered decisively. "I still have 100,000 jin of seeds here, which can be distributed to various bases for trial planting immediately. I have already compiled the cultivation techniques into a manual, which mainly covers simple virus removal procedures. It's easy to understand, and ordinary farmers can learn it after a few tries."

Fertilizer—Although the fertilizer plant hasn't officially started production yet, I can supply a batch first.

He paused, then added, "If we promote it now, at least one million mu can be planted nationwide by next spring."

By next autumn, we will have harvested 3 billion jin (1.5 billion kg) of potatoes. That's enough to feed 20 million people for a month.

Another silence followed.

Then, applause broke out. It wasn't just polite applause; it was heartfelt, enthusiastic applause.

As evening approached, the group was still discussing potato promotion strategies.

Zhao Ping'an quietly withdrew and went into the courtyard.

As the sun sets, the sky turns golden.

I recalled what Leader Li had just said to me: "Comrade Ping An, these two gifts of yours, one is for the sky and the other is for the land."

The sky must be protected, the land must be nourished. You've thought of all that.

Yes, he had thought of that. But he knew it wasn't enough.

The airplane was assembled, not actually manufactured.

The potato detoxification agent cannot be produced in production yet; it can only be obtained through system exchange.

Steel production has just begun on a trial basis, chemical production is still in the debugging stage, and machinery production has just started...

The road ahead is still long.

"Comrade Ping An." Zhou's voice came from behind.

Zhao Pingan turned around.

"Leader Li asked me to ask you, you mentioned 'several gifts' before. Is there a third one?"

Zhao Ping'an was silent for a few seconds, then nodded.

"Yes, but we'll have to wait until October."

"What is it?"

"A complete industrial system," Zhao Ping'an said.

"By October, Ansteel will be able to officially start production, with a monthly steel output of 500,000 tons. The Shenyang Machine Tool Factory will be able to mass-produce ordinary machine tools."

Jilin Chemical's fertilizer plant can produce products. And—"

He looked west: "And an even bigger gift is being prepared."

Leader Zhou didn't press for details. He simply patted Zhao Ping'an on the shoulder and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

Zhao Ping'an shook his head: "It's not hard work. Compared to the comrades on the front lines, what's this?"

The sun had completely set, leaving only a dark red glow on the horizon.

In the distance, inside the cafeteria, a lively discussion was still taking place about the potato promotion plan. The voices were full of hope and energy.

Zhao Pingan took a deep breath.

It's July. There are still three months until October.

Three months is enough time for him to get a lot done.

For example, to truly achieve domestic production of that fighter jet.

For example, spreading potato seeds throughout the country.

For example, let the torrent of steel truly surge forth.

The foundation for national industrial development is being built up little by little in our own hands.