Chapter 39 Listening to the Lecture There are large peaches on the mountain, winding for three thousand miles, named…
A few days later, the student auditorium was packed with people. The Chen sisters arrived early and managed to snag two relatively good seats. Meanwhile, Li Cuiping had already gone to the food street to feast.
Li Cuiping: What's so interesting about agricultural lectures? Do you really need to learn farming? Isn't that something you're born knowing how to do?
"Do you think Professor Shen will give each of us a peach to try first?" someone asked eagerly.
"Forget it, such a precious new variety, how could it be our turn?" Another person shrugged, with a sour tone. "Besides, it's only just been developed, who knows if there are any problems? I wouldn't dare to eat it."
"What are you talking about? It can't be that serious, can it?"
"Haven't you seen the recent news? This new species might have been artificially created using some kind of method..." the man continued.
Chen Mian frowned as she listened to the man's words, and whispered to her sister, "If you don't like him that much, don't come. He's really jealous."
Chen Muhe smiled gently and nodded silently, but when she looked up, she bumped into the same person from yesterday.
Shen Xieyi glanced at Chen Muhe with a flippant look, gesturing for the person next to her to sit in an empty seat further forward. He then sat down next to her. "Muhe, would you like to try Professor Shen's new product?"
Chen Muhe pretended not to hear, but silently moved closer to her sister. Why did she have to bump into that annoying person again? So unlucky.
Chen Mian was spacing out when she suddenly felt that her seat was a bit cramped. She turned her head and saw that it was that annoying man from yesterday again. Looking at her sister's pitiful eyes that seemed to be pleading for help, she immediately understood. She patted Chen Muhe's arm, and the two of them got up and switched seats.
After sitting down again, Chen Mian glanced at the man next to her, her eyes filled with anger, and said through gritted teeth, "Excuse me, could you please switch seats with someone else? It's probably not very convenient for a grown man like you to sit here, and I clearly remember that this seat was previously occupied by a girl."
Shen Xieyi looked at the two sisters' similar almond-shaped eyes and faces with amusement. He hadn't done anything wrong; he just liked to tease the little girls. Why were they both acting like they were facing a major crisis? However… the older sister's temper didn't seem as good as the younger sister's.
My younger sister is soft and gentle, with only studying on her mind. When she encounters something she doesn't want to hear, she pretends to be deaf and dumb. If you piss her off, she'll glare at you gently with red eyes like a rabbit, but she's actually feeling very wronged inside. I wonder if she secretly cries when she's alone.
His older sister was like a little firecracker, easily provoked, but he wasn't angry. He calmly struck up a conversation again, "Sister Muhe, what's your name? Which school do you go to? We've never met before."
Chen Mian froze upon hearing this, the warning she was about to utter paused, and a faint shadow fell over her bright eyes. In an instant, thinking of her sister's ordeal, she retorted in a firm tone, "What business is it of yours what my name is or where I go to school? Are we that close? I'm warning you, stay away from us!"
Shen Xieyi was taken aback by Xiaolajiao's sudden outburst of anger. He raised his hands to indicate that he had given up and brought up the old topic again, "Sister Muhe, would you like to try Professor Shen's new research product? If you would, you'd better be good-tempered."
Chen Mian was somewhat bewildered. The lingering discomfort of having her sore spot touched was still churning inside her, making her feel itchy as if insects were crawling all over her, leaving her too weak to even speak. She simply pretended not to hear, turning her head completely back to stare at the podium, ignoring the person completely.
She came to listen to the lecture, not to watch this guy perform a monkey show.
Shen Xieyi ran into two snubs in a row. There were people around, so he couldn't lash out. He could only shrug and pretend not to care.
A few meters away on the stage, the host finally came up, placed a black box on the lectern, and introduced in a clear and resonant voice: "Students, I won't waste your time with pleasantries. Let's welcome Professor Shen Hetong with the warmest applause!"
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience as a man in a dark blue suit slowly walked onto the stage. He had handsome features and a gentle, refined air about him, making him appear to be only in his early thirties.
"Professor Shen is so young? And so handsome!"
"It's obvious you didn't do your research beforehand. He just returned from studying abroad, and our school offered him a professorship right away in order to recruit him."
"Really?"
"Of course it's true, otherwise why would they choose to come here instead of going to universities in the capital?"
Shen Hetong glanced around, his gaze landing on a familiar figure. He frowned slightly, then calmly introduced himself: "Hello everyone, I am Shen Hetong. Today I'm here to share with you my latest agricultural product research, Pan Tao No. 5." He then opened a box on the table, inside which were several ripe peaches with pink and white skin.
"Pan Tao No. 5 was developed through gene screening and hybridization of ordinary peaches. Compared with ordinary peaches, it is more sun-loving, drought-resistant and waterlogged-resistant, has a flat round shape, easy-to-peel skin, and a smaller pit, making it taste better..." [1]
As Professor Shen explained, the students listened more attentively. Half an hour later, Shen stopped his presentation and said, "If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Don't be shy, just treat this as an opportunity for mutual exchange."
Someone raised their hand and asked, "Professor Shen, why did you name this peach 'Pan Tao'? It doesn't look like the Pan Tao in 'Journey to the West' at all."
Shen He smiled gently and began to explain. The Classic of Mountains and Seas records, "In the middle of the East Sea, there is a mountain called Suoshan, on which grows a large peach that stretches for three thousand miles," hence the name Pan Tao (Pan Peach). [2]
"Can we try some? When will it be available?"
"It's probably not going to work in the short term. We are still contacting fruit farmers who are interested in trying out this agricultural product. Large-scale promotion will probably take some time."
Shen Hetong looked apologetic. "This batch of peaches was planted in the school's experimental field. The yield is low, and we're keeping them to continue improving and iterating. I'll treat everyone to some when they're mass-produced, okay?"
Are there any other questions?
"Tell us what it tastes like! It's making our mouths water!" A few boys in the front row egged them on. "Yeah, yeah!"
Shen He explained patiently, "When it's freshly picked, the flesh is firm and needs to be left to soften before eating, which makes it more suitable for transportation. As for the taste, it's juicier and sweeter than regular peaches, and it's also more nutritious."
Chen Mian listened attentively to Professor Shen's explanation from the audience. She had been interested ever since she first saw the appearance of the Pan Tao No. 5. Only with an appearance that was different from the past could it be possible to occupy the market in advance.
When the topic turned to the sun-loving and drought-resistant peach, her eyes lit up even more. Wasn't this talking about Xinjiang? Where else in China could compare to Xinjiang in terms of sunshine and drought? This was exactly the new variety she was looking for.
Thinking of this, she simply stood up and asked, "Professor Shen, I would like to ask if this Pan Tao No. 5 can be grown in Xinjiang? If so, I hope to have the opportunity to try planting it in Xinjiang."
Shen Hetong looked up with some surprise. At this point in the lecture, this was the first time he had heard a question that interested him. Finally, someone was concerned about practical issues.
He first asked in return, "Where in Xinjiang do you plan to plant it?"
"Northern Xinjiang, Wumu City."
Shen Hetong nodded: "Yes, this is one of the target cities we have studied in advance. The climate and soil are very suitable for growing Pan Tao No. 1."
"However..." he continued hesitantly, "we're looking for experienced fruit farmers to partner with. Do you have any experience in this area?"
Chen Mian hesitated for a moment, wanting to boast that she had relevant experience and wanted to get the opportunity first, but in the end she was honest: "No, but I am bolder than others and more willing to try new varieties. I have a lot of confidence in your product and hope to have a chance to participate."
After she finished speaking, she stared into Shen Hetong's eyes, her gaze clear and firm, with a tenacity like wild grass, as if she could seize any opportunity given to her and soar to great heights.
Chen Muhe, who was standing next to her, also stood up. "My undergraduate major was agriculture, and I've always been among the top students in my class. I can provide my sister with theoretical and professional support."
Shen Xieyi lazily raised his hand to indicate, "If you need investment, you can come to me."
Shen Hetong was somewhat moved by the clear and determined eyes of the two sisters. He glanced at Shen Xieyi, who was joining in the fun, and felt a headache coming on. He secretly glared at him before replying to Chen Mian: "You two sit down first. We can talk in detail after the lecture."
“Okay.” The two sisters sat down together again.
After the lecture, Shen Hetong led the two to his office, with Shen Xieyi following lazily behind them.
Feeling the burning gaze behind her, Chen Mian was annoyed and finally couldn't help but turn around and retort, "Are you ever going to stop? What do you want by following us like this?"
Chen Muhe hugged her sister's arm tightly, peeked out, and whispered, "I've already said I don't like you anymore, and I won't date anyone else, so just give up."
Shen Xieyi looked completely innocent, as if he had been wronged. "Brother, please do something about it! They're bullying me! I was clearly following you."
Shen Hetong stopped and glared at him again. "Go stand outside and behave yourself. Don't you dare flirt with other women again."
He then turned to Chen Mian and the other person and apologized, "I'm really sorry, my younger brother is a bit unreliable and has caused you trouble."
"Let's talk about serious matters first, and I'll deal with him after we're done..."
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Author's Note: The annotations are based on the Baidu Encyclopedia entry for "Peach". By the way, does anyone feel that my title, description, and content don't match? Any suggestions from you lovely readers?
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