107. 107. First Signs of Talent

The first place we went to was a sandy area, where mud and fine sand were evenly distributed. A large patch of thin grass was planted on the bare ground, interspersed with shrubs. Peng Li said that the grass had been planted for two or three years.

“We planted tall trees before, thinking that the trees could retain water and regulate the water balance. They did survive, but their lifespan is only five years. In 1975, the trees started to show signs of drying out and dying.” He watched Su Yu rub a handful of soil in her palm and explained, “It rained a few days ago, so the soil is not short of water right now. But in 1975, there was a drought. Even if we watered this five and a half acres of sandy land, it wouldn’t quench the thirst. The following spring, most of the trees did not sprout again, and gradually only ten trees remained.”

"Logically, it should have taken root when it was first planted, and after five years of growth, its root system should have been fully developed. Plus, there's groundwater, so how did it dry out and die? Are you sure it dried out?" Li Jianbing asked bluntly.

His suspicion was evident in his tone, which was impossible to hide. The bearded man walking behind Peng Li glared at him and said, "Young man, if you're inexperienced, then keep quiet. We've been in the desert for over ten years. If we can't even tell whether we die from dehydration or disease, we might as well pack our bags and go back to school to study again."

"Don't take it personally with these young people. I brought them out to learn from you because they lack experience. Now that they know, they won't make the same mistake again," Teacher Gu explained with a smile, easing Li Jianbing's embarrassment. Li Jianbing blushed and stopped speaking rashly, his previous ease gone.

“After the trees died, we dug up the roots. The soil deep inside was severely dehydrated, and once the soil was dug up, it was exposed to the wind. Even if we filled it back in time, it was still exposed to the sun, making the soil quality even worse. The grass we replanted that year didn't survive. It was only after careful tending over the past two years that it was brought back to life. Otherwise, it would have completely turned into desert.” Peng Li’s face was full of regret as he spoke of this. He gave a self-deprecating smile and said, “We’ve been wandering in the desert for over ten years. For the first six years, we were just groping around blindly. Only in the last two years have the plants survived. But I’m afraid that in another two or three years, large areas will wither and die again. I won’t be able to face the country then. So I asked you to come and take a look and help us make some plans.”

“You are the masters in planting trees and grass in the desert. What we know comes from the experience records of our predecessors. We learn and discuss together.” Teacher Gu declined this high praise. The knowledge she acquired came from foreign books and the records of her predecessors in desert control. She had no practical experience and dared not wield her sword in front of Guan Yu.

Peng Li could not hide his disappointment, but he still reluctantly led them on a tour of what could be considered an oasis, taking the initiative to introduce the situation of each sandy area, the trees and shrubs planted there, and the growth of the turf.

The desert has a large temperature difference between day and night, so Su Yu and her group of eight people slept in two separate rooms, one for men and one for women, all crammed together. When there weren't enough beds, they slept on the floor.

"What do you think of what we learned today?" Teacher Gu asked.

"I have no opinion. This is my first time dealing with desertification control. I have absolutely no experience. All my opinions come from books. I don't need to say anything useful; Professor Peng and the others have already figured it out." Xu Jie, Su Yu's roommate, said that they are already seniors and have a lot of knowledge and have done enough experiments. They are quite adept in the experimental forest and wetlands. But when they came to the desert, they were like students who had just entered the school. They were at a loss and knew nothing.

"Su Yu, what about you?"

“It must be due to the groundwater and the tree species. The groundwater in the desert is not as abundant as in our plains. Once it is depleted, it is extremely difficult to replenish. The fact that the trees planted by Professor Peng and his team were able to survive shows that the sandy land does not lack groundwater.” Su Yu smiled and said, “I’m talking nonsense. If there were a lack of groundwater, it would have been completely desertified.”

"And then what? What does it have to do with the tree species?" Xu Jie pressed.

“Different trees require different amounts of water. Just like trees in wetlands will grow differently when transplanted to a forest farm. My guess is that the groundwater under the sand can only sustain the trees that Teacher Peng and his team planted for five years. In other words, planting trees in the sand drained the groundwater, and the groundwater couldn’t be replenished in time. And coincidentally, there was a drought that year, so the trees died.”

"So planting trees actually exacerbated soil desertification? The result was contrary to expectations?" Xu Jie concluded.

"It depends on local conditions. Our country has forests, grasslands and wetlands. The classification is based on natural laws, which are related to the climate. If you want to plant a forest in the desert, the soil and climate are not suitable," Su Yu said boldly.

Today, as she wandered through the sandy area, she drew upon fragmented pieces of knowledge from the internet gleaned from her past life, combined with new knowledge she had acquired from Shumanpo over the years. When Peng Li mentioned that large areas of the trees had died after five years of growth, she immediately suspected a problem with the groundwater. The trees' roots were exceptionally developed, and the sandy soil was loose. In five years, the roots could grow two to three meters, or even deeper. Furthermore, the arid desert climate caused severe evaporation, disrupting the water vapor cycle. Unable to obtain moisture from the air, the trees were forced to desperately draw water from the ground.

When she returned, she told Shumanpo about it, and Shumanpo explained the importance of adapting to local conditions. She only learned today that it's not true that the more trees you plant, the better. If a place has too many trees and they are too dense and lush, the soil quality will be depleted. The worst thing is if there's human intervention in such a situation; the soil may not be able to adapt or the internal circulation time may be too short, causing it to collapse first.

"Su Yu, when you get back, write a paper about the water requirements of different tree species under the same natural environment and the normal growth of different tree species over the same number of years." Professor Gu immediately assigned the task. This was a new argument, and if the results could be experimentally verified, it would save tree planters from making detours. Currently, not only is the vegetation environment in the desert deteriorating, but it's also worsening on the Loess Plateau. If Su Yu's idea is correct, then for such a fragile ecological environment, planting the wrong trees would only accelerate the deterioration and waste funds and manpower.

“Okay, I had the same idea.” Su Yu agreed.

The person in the other bed was silent for a while. Xu Jie felt her foot being touched. She moved her foot and was touched again. Only then did she realize that the person on the other side was doing it on purpose.

"Sister Lin, why did you kick me?" she asked, looking up.

"Huh? Nothing, I just wanted to turn over." Lin Xiaofang turned over, opened her eyes and looked at Su Yu for a while before saying, "Sister Su, if you need any help, just call me. I don't know much, and I'll learn from you." Su Yu had already submitted a paper, which was supposedly ready to be published, while she hadn't even gotten close to it.

"Okay, but it will take a long time. We might not even get any results by the time we graduate."

Lin Xiaofang remained silent, forced a smile, and said, "I'll learn as much as I can."

On the other end, Teacher Gu listened without interrupting. She glanced at Xu Jie, who was sleeping with her eyes closed, and thought, "What a carefree girl."

The next day, Su Yu took the initiative to find Peng Li and repeated what she had said the night before.

Peng Li didn't find her words harsh. What Su Yu said was basically true. The results of five or six years of hard work had vanished overnight, and he had faced a lot of criticism. But compared to the cruel reality, he was more concerned about how to solve the problem. Would the little grass they had painstakingly planted wither and die again?

Su Yu explained the method of planting trees and grass on the hillside to Peng Li and his colleagues: "Teacher Peng, I am also a novice when it comes to planting trees and grass in the desert. Let me explain it to you. If you think it makes sense, then you can put it into practice." She made a disclaimer first to avoid being argued with later.

Peng Li thought of Lao Wu's sarcastic remarks about the young people's lack of knowledge yesterday. He frowned, glanced at the others who were listening intently, and said to Su Yu, "Little sister, you can speak freely. We have a sense of justice and are not wild people who run around like savages just because they smell something delicious."

"What I mean is to plant fewer tall trees in the desert. Trees have extensive root systems and require a lot of water, which can be very destructive to our water-scarce desert. Plant more shrubs and grasses. Desert winds are strong, and low shrubs are more wind-resistant than tall trees. But grass shouldn't be planted too densely either. We plant trees and grass to improve the environment. When the environment improves and the ecosystem recovers, grass will naturally sprout and animals will appear. If the grass is too dense, it will increase soil pressure after the ecosystem recovers."

This was an unprecedented new approach. They dared not plant more trees after the trees died, but they were unwilling to give up. Now that someone had told him that planting trees in the desert wasn't suitable, his pressure lessened considerably. When he came to the desert, he was driven only by enthusiasm, never considering adapting to the environment.

“I understand now, we got the order wrong. We need to cultivate the soil and lay the foundation before developing the environment.” Peng Li sighed and asked the woman with the calm face opposite him, “Teacher Su, have you considered working here? The living conditions are tough, but the salary is good, and there are fewer hassles. The scenery here is also beautiful; the sunrise and sunset reflecting on the golden sand are particularly dazzling.”

Su Yu smiled and said, "Teacher Peng, I am still a student and do not dare to accept the title of teacher. I have not graduated yet."

"Don't call me Teacher Peng, just call me Brother Peng, Fifth Brother. Write down our contact address and postal code and give them to Sister Su. Sister, you should also leave your address. When you go back, we can discuss things together. We'll also let you know if there's any progress on our end."

Su Yu had the same thought. She glanced at Xiao Yuan, her two sons, and Er Ya waiting for her outside. All three of them were too dependent on her. It felt very good to be needed, but everyone had to live independently. They needed independence, both mentally and emotionally.

The vegetation environment in the Northwest desert is harsh and has not been well resolved in later generations. With the advantage of having trees covering the slopes, she was able to accelerate the expansion of the desert oasis area during her lifetime, which was something she could be proud of for a lifetime.

For two reasons combined, she was also inclined to develop her career in Northwest China after graduation. She gave Peng Li her contact address, and to prevent him from making empty promises, and also because she wanted to learn more about the area in the next year or two, she added her own leverage: "Brother Peng, I worked in orchards for six or seven years before I went to university, and I've planted thousands of trees in my hometown. I'm quite experienced in judging the growth of trees, and nine out of ten trees I plant survive. If you encounter the same situation as before, you can write to me or send me a telegram, and I can be 80% confident in finding out what's wrong with the vegetation."

This was quite a bold statement, and everyone, including Peng Li, turned to look at her. "It's true. My teachers and classmates can all testify to it, and everything I've said is true. The trees I planted are as thick as a thigh. You can contact the town government where I live; they know the situation. I've also donated the ownership of the trees to the state." Su Yu smiled, meeting their scrutiny.

"Where are you from? H province?"

“Yes, you’ve heard of him?” Su Yu looked at the bearded man.

“I remember it was 1975 or 1976, someone from a county in H province contacted me and said that there was a person there who was good at planting trees, and that nine out of ten trees he planted would survive. At that time, we were trying to save the trees, so I gave the address to that person in the government. Later, I received a telegram saying that the person was not at home and had gone out. Was that you?”

"It should be me. He's the secretary of our county magistrate. When he came to my house, my wife and I had gone to the south. I don't know what he wanted to see me about, and then I lost contact with him."

What a coincidence! After several years of twists and turns, we've finally met again. Peng Li said happily, "You have a special connection with the Northwest. You missed it by chance back then, but now you've come to the desert on your own. Su, come over after you graduate. You're a college graduate, and you've been assigned here by the government. You have a position, and you're capable. You can get promoted in three to five years."

Xiao Yuan looked at the sky and then glanced into the house. His mother had been talking to someone for an hour or two, but he didn't know what she was saying.