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Wang Shuping agreed with her husband, tidied up the lab, and went home to rest.
The third experiment, eagerly awaited by the couple, yielded results; the data was correct, and they could write a report.
The thought that the couple could work in Qijia Village in the future made them very happy.
Being able to work and be with their daughter at the same time—such a thing was enough to make He Jingyu and his wife extremely excited about the Huo family!
Director Wu was overjoyed when he saw the report submitted by He Jingyu. Qijia Village's enthusiasm made it a good choice!
"Are you sure the soil there is really suitable for growing peaches?" Director Wu asked. He also knew that He Jingyu and his wife's daughter was a sent-down youth in Qijia Village. He could understand that the couple wanted to see their daughter, but this was related to the promotion of agriculture in Huai City, so they had to be careful and not act impulsively!
He Jingyu guessed Director Wu's concerns and smiled, "Director Wu, I am a scientific and technological worker. I only speak with data and I don't act on emotion. My daughter is in Qijia Village, and I do want to go to Qijia Village to be with her, but this involves major project policies in Huai City, and I won't act recklessly."
Hearing He Jingyu say this, Director Wu was relieved and asked, "So, what do you suggest we do next?"
“Director Wu, if the city is worried, we can contact the Agricultural Research Institute in Nanshi first and transplant the hundred or so two-year-old peach trees that I previously cultivated. My wife and I will take good care of them, and these peach trees will bear fruit next year. After everyone has tasted the peaches, we can then decide whether to promote them on a large scale. Although this is slower, it is safer,” He Jingyu suggested. He knew that officials nowadays were afraid of making mistakes, and were overly cautious and lacked initiative.
The fact that Huai City has achieved what it has today proves that its officials are quite ambitious.
Upon hearing this, Director Wu agreed wholeheartedly and said, "Alright, write a report, and we'll take it up for discussion and try to give you a reply as soon as possible."
"Yes, Director Wu." He Jingyu nodded.
After returning home, He Jingyu wrote a report overnight, and submitted it on the second page for discussion by the leaders, where it was unanimously approved.
Therefore, He Jingyu and Wang Shuping split up and acted in two separate groups!
He Jingyu led a team to Nanshi to transplant peach saplings, while Wang Shuping went to Qijia Village in Taoyuan County to prepare. Before the saplings arrived, a plot of land in Qijia Village was cleared for planting peaches.
Although the back mountain is the furthest, it has a good slope, good sunlight, and the best soil conditions, so the couple decided to plant there.
Even if the data is on paper, some people will still not believe it.
If you're going to grow peaches, grow the best ones. Only when villagers and officials see fresh, top-quality peaches will they truly believe it.
Wang Shuping took the documents from Huai City and went to Taoyuan County to find Niu Peng.
Niu Peng initially had similar concerns, but after hearing Wang Shuping's detailed explanation, he chose to trust the couple.
Even if it were for He Tiantian's sake, the couple wouldn't need to lie about this issue.
Now, Secretary Qi mobilized the villagers to plant peaches. Most people agreed, but a small number disagreed.
The leader among them was Qi Shuli, who said while smoking his pipe, "Secretary, look, no other villages have taken on this task. You can't let our village do all the work for nothing just for the sake of your official position!"
Secretary Qi had long known things wouldn't go so smoothly and had already devised a plan. He wasn't angry at all and calmly said, "Has anyone considered what life is like back in Shanyangdaogou?"
"Yes, we do!" the villagers below replied.
"So, do you want to build a road?" Secretary Qi asked again. "It only takes a little over three hours to walk to the county seat!"
"Yes, we do!" Everyone looked at each other.
"Think about it, if we didn't have anything good to offer, would anyone build roads for us?" Secretary Qi asked again. "We've lived here for generations, isolated from the world, in such a remote place. It takes so long to get to the county town. Look at Shanyangdaogou, they got high prices from the supply and marketing cooperative and received praise from the commune just because they grew apples, and they even got roads built for them. We're all in the same boat, so why is there such a big difference?"
Everyone fell silent!
Qi Shuli took a few deep drags on his pipe and said, "Planting fruit trees takes up farmland! These days, who has enough food to eat? Everyone counts the grains of rice when they cook. If this land were used to grow grain, everyone could get more grain."
Some people listened and nodded in agreement.
Secretary Qi smiled and continued, "I've thought about Accountant Qi's idea before, and we've even tried it before. Years ago, we also tried mining those barren mountains, but we didn't succeed. Do you think Accountant Qi will succeed this time too?"
Zhao Dajiao chimed in, "Yes, we were there when we were clearing the land. Those hills were strange; no matter how much water we poured, it all seeped down, making it impossible to grow crops."
Some older people know about these things.
While they were discussing, Niu Peng arrived with Wang Shuping and his assistant, Xiao Wang.
Niu Peng said with a smile, "Don't worry, everyone. According to the instructions from the city and county, we will not be planting peaches on a large scale for the time being. We will choose to plant them on the back mountain to open up an experimental garden, plant a hundred peach trees, and see how it goes."
"The back mountain?" Upon hearing this, everyone began to discuss it animatedly, as the back mountain was considered a feng shui treasure land for Qijia Village.
Will opening a peach orchard now affect the feng shui?
However, since the other party was an official, they dared not speak up for fear of being accused of feudal superstition!
“Yes!” Niu Peng said, “The soil on the back mountain is the best and most suitable. The area needed is not large, only four or five acres of mountain land, and the amount of work is also small. If everyone works together, it can probably be completed in two or three days.”
The people below fell silent, glancing between Secretary Qi and Qi Shuli.
“I agree with this decision,” Secretary Qi said. “A small boat is easier to turn around. Responding to the instructions from the city and county will also ensure the manpower and resources of our Qijia Village.”
Everyone thought about it and realized that this was a decision made by the city and the county. Even if Accountant Qi disagreed, what could he do? Accountant Qi wasn't afraid to say anything now!
Even Accountant Qi is unwilling to take the lead, and they are unwilling to be the first to do so.
While being the first bird to stick its head out might catch more insects, it also makes it easier to get shot!
Seeing that no one objected, Niu Peng continued, "From now on, the experts will stay here and take care of these fruit trees, which will not be a burden on Qijia Village. On the contrary, if the planting is successful, Qijia Village will be the biggest beneficiary."
Niu Peng wouldn't promise benefits out of thin air if the peaches hadn't grown yet.
Thus, under the firm stance of Niu Peng and Secretary Qi, the villagers worked together and, under Wang Shuping's instructions, cleared five acres of mountain land. (To be continued.)
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