The wheat yield in Huangtupo did not meet the target. The 360 ​​jin of raw grain was not enough to distribute. The target was high, but the yield could not be increased. In the end, they would go hungry. It was not just Qinghe Village that had a low yield; the yields of several production teams were also low.

At this critical juncture, with production falling short of targets and manpower still needed to be spent on afforestation, Chen Dajiang, as the commune director, decided to personally go and take a look.

The two key figures in Qinghe Village are the village head and the village party secretary. Upon learning that the commune director was coming to inspect the work, Cao Wang greeted them at the village entrance early in the morning.

Chen Dajiang rode his bicycle, carrying a large water bottle. Since the bicycle couldn't go up the loess slope, he locked it to a tree.

"Director, shall we go to Huangtupo now?" Cao Wang asked.

Chen Dajiang raised an eyebrow. "Since you've proposed planting trees, you should at least go and see the results of your labor."

This isn't a review of the results of our labor; it's a surprise inspection. Cao Wang thought for a moment, "Of course, the afforestation is almost complete. I'll take you to see it now."

Chen Dajiang responded in a low voice.

He had been to Qinghe Village several times and was familiar with the route, but he could only say that the terrain was not very good, as it was surrounded by mountains but not by water.

Cao Wang led him up the hillside, laughing as he said, "It was Lin Yuxi from the village who suggested planting trees..."

"We'll see what it's really like once we see it." Chen Dajiang raised his hand, interrupting him. He didn't want to listen to such empty flattery.

Cao Wang understood his personality and didn't say anything more. It took about fifteen minutes to walk up from the village entrance. Under the blazing sun, Chen Dajiang didn't stop for a breath. After riding his bicycle for more than half an hour, he went straight up the slope as soon as he arrived at Qinghe Village.

Standing at the intersection, although it wasn't exactly a lush green expanse, the hundred or so trees in front of him were indeed quite astonishing.

"Did you grow all of these?"

"They dug them up from the back of the mountain and then planted them all on this slope?"

Chen Dajiang's eyes widened. The hillsides and mountains had taken on a new look, and he could hardly believe what he was seeing.

Cao Wang's expression remained unchanged, his face calm. "Director, these trees were indeed dug up from the mountain and planted here. Don't they look a bit cooler now? They're not so sunny or hot anymore."

The loess slope was originally a hillside plain, but now that trees have been planted, it looks much cooler. And once it gets to noon or afternoon, even when the sun is blazing, there are still gaps to hide under the trees and enjoy the shade.

"This..." Chen Dajiang was so shocked by what he saw that he was speechless.

Their commune was already short of talent; most of the educated youth sent to the countryside were junior high school graduates. Their commune was developing slowly, so who would want to come here? Not to mention that this year's grain production did not meet the target, other communes were not much better off.

However, he still harbored prejudices against entrusting important responsibilities to those who were sent to lower levels; otherwise, he would not have rashly come to conduct a surprise inspection.

Cao Wang pressed on, "This is all thanks to Comrade Lin Yuxi. She was commended for her bravery as soon as she arrived in the village. Later, she went up the mountain to hunt wolves. The one and a half wolves that were handed over to the commune were all brought by her. Even though she was sent down to the countryside, she is still much better than many of the educated youth in the commune."

Upon hearing this, Chen Dajiang snorted coldly.

"Those educated youth who came to the countryside have been gone for several years and haven't done any construction. Instead, they've been just trying to muddle through every day. Why haven't we produced any talented people in our commune? Now our production is below standard. If only we could increase production."

Cao Wang agreed with what Chen Dajiang said, but after a moment, his face was full of doubt. "But what Comrade Lin Yuxi told me the other day about planting trees, water storage ponds, and water-saving sprinkler irrigation? These can not only reduce manual labor, but also increase yields, right?"